Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a life essential molecule involved in versatile biological processes. To date, only two de novo biosynthetic routes to NAD+ are described, both of which start from proteinogenic amino acid and tightly controlled. Here, quinolinic pathway starting chorismate, provides an alternative route (named as the C3N pathway) biosynthesis, established. Significan...

We previously found a relative sparing of somatostatin and neuropeptide Y neurons 1 week after producing striatal lesions with NMDA receptor agonists. These results are similar to postmortem findings in Huntington's disease (HD), though in this illness there are two- to threefold increases in striatal somatostatin and neuropeptide Y concentrations, which may be due to striatal atrophy. In the p...

Three experiments were carried out on a total of 78 female rats to examine the effect of an excess intake of leucine, with and without additions of vitamin B6 and/or niacin, on the excretion of tryptophan and niacin metabolites, and on branched-chain amino acid transaminase activity in some organs and on serum amino acid levels. An excess in take of leucine (10% leucine) retarded the growth of ...

High-affinity binding sites for recombinant human NGF (rhNGF) were studied in the caudate-putamen of the adult rat and rabbit. Displaceable 125I-rhNGF binding sites were densely distributed throughout the caudate-putamen and were 2-3-fold more prevalant in the ventrolateral and lateral than in the medial caudate-putamen. The amount of nondisplaceable binding did not vary throughout the caudate-...

Mol Autism. 2013 Jun 3;4(1):16. Decreased tryptophan metabolism in patients with autism spectrum disorders. Boccuto L, Chen CF, Pittman AR, Skinner CD, McCartney HJ, Jones K, Bochner BR, Stevenson RE, Schwartz CE. Greenwood Genetic Center, 113 Gregor Mendel Circle, Greenwood, SC 29646, USA. BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are relatively common neurodevelopmental conditions whose bi...

Neurotrophic factors exert considerable neuroprotective and neurorestorative effects in neurodegenerative diseases. Because neuronal progenitor cells have, at least in part, the potency to restore degenerated neuronal networks, transgenic high-dosage expression of neurotrophins by these cells in neurotransplantation may be advantageous. In the present study, a retroviral vector containing the g...