Topic: L-serine

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive condition resulting in dopaminergic nigrostriatal neuronal death. Several evidence suggest that beyond dopaminergic system other neurotransmitters are involved in PD. In particular, molecular alterations occurring at ionotropic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) contribute to appearance of the disease features. Among neurotransmitters involved in glutamatergic system, D-serine (D-Ser) plays a crucial role acting as NMDARs co-agonist. A previous study carried out on preclinical models of PD, showed increased levels of D-Ser as well as of its metabo

In the mammalian brain, D-/L-serine regulates fundamental physiological processes including synaptic plasticity, energy homeostasis, lipid metabolism, and cell survival. Recent findings from our group (Di Maio et al., 2023) indicated notable variations in serine enantiomer concentrations in the caudate-putamen of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and the CSF of de-novo PD patients. Nevertheless, the impact of the severity of dopaminergic loss on the central levels of serine enantiomers remains uncertain. To gain deeper insight into this matter, the current study examines the occurrence of cent

Brain L-serine is critical for neurodevelopment and is thought to be synthesized solely from glucose. In contrast, we found that the influx of L-serine across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) is essential for brain development. We identified the endothelial Slc38a5, previously thought to be a glutamine transporter, as an L-serine transporter expressed at the BBB in early postnatal life. Young Slc38a5 knockout (KO) mice exhibit developmental alterations and a decrease in brain L-serine and D-serine, without changes in serum or liver amino acids. Slc38a5-KO brains exhibit accumulation of neurotoxic