| abstract |
"SERINA RACEMASE DE MAMIFEROS". High levels of D-serine occur in the mammalian brain, where it appears to be an endogenous linker to the "glycine site" of NMDA receptors. In this invention, a soluble enzyme that catalyzes the direct racemization of L-serine to D-serine was purified from the rat brain. The purified racemase serine has a molecular weight of 37 kDa and requires pyridoxal 5'-phosphate for its activity. The enzyme is highly selective in the direction of L-serine, failing to racemize any other tested amino acid. Polynucleotide sequences encoding a mammalian, including human, serine racemase have also been identified. Compounds that modulate the activity of mammalian serine racemase are useful for treating conditions and diseases that involve over-stimulation of NMDA receptors, such as stroke and neurodegenerative diseases. |