Investigating the role of D-alanine and D-serine in the gut and brain, an in vivo and in vitro study

<p>D-alanine co-localization to corticotroph cells of the anterior pituitary inspired the research in this thesis, as this co-localization may imply a relationship. Investigations into effects that D-alanine have on the anterior pituitary, via AtT20 cells found that D-alanine does in fact have...

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Tác giả chính: Naidoo, K
Tác giả khác: Burnet, P
Định dạng: Luận văn
Ngôn ngữ:English
Được phát hành: 2021
Những chủ đề:
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author Naidoo, K
author2 Burnet, P
author_facet Burnet, P
Naidoo, K
author_sort Naidoo, K
collection OXFORD
description <p>D-alanine co-localization to corticotroph cells of the anterior pituitary inspired the research in this thesis, as this co-localization may imply a relationship. Investigations into effects that D-alanine have on the anterior pituitary, via AtT20 cells found that D-alanine does in fact have an inhibitory relationship on ACTH secretion in AtT20 cells, and this was robustly proven. Additionally, D-serine was investigated for comparison, and this D-amino acid had similar effects. To ascertain inhibitory hormone effects by D-amino acids, an in vivo study using CD1 mice found that animals treated with D-alanine or D-serine had lower levels of corticosterone in their plasma. This supported the finding that these Damino acids have an inhibitory effect on HPA axis hormones.</p> <p>In order to manipulate this regulation for potential therapeutic benefits the mechanism behind this inhibition was sought, and I found that this may be via a combination of Asc-1 and ASCT2 amino acid transporters and the SGK-1-POMC system. NMDARs and GlyRs were explored but the data did not support the direct involvement of these receptors in inhibition of HPA axis hormones: ACTH and corticosterone. Asc-1 involvement was determined by transfecting AtT20 cells with Asc-1 and observing a more pronounced inhibition in cells overexpressed with this amino acid transporter and treated with Dalanine. To support the in vitro data, 2 in vivo studies were performed – a model that increased Dalanine by feeding it to CD1 mice and a germ free model, which would lack D-alanine due to the lack of gut microbiota, the source of mammalian D-alanine. However the ‘D-alanine knockout model’ of germ-free mice did not have opposing effects on SGK1 and POMC in the cortex – though this may be due to presence of D-serine in these animals, as D-serine and D-alanine was found to exert similar effects on HPA axis hormones and SGK1. Determining that D-amino acids may have a therapeutic benefit of HPA axis regulation, the effects these molecules exert on the site of entry, the gut, was investigated in colorectal Human carcinoma cells Caco-2, and it was found that D-serine had pro-inflammatory effects on these gut cells, but not D-alanine, however the mechanism behind this inflammation was not determined. However, this was an interesting find as it supports the use of D-alanine over D-serine as a potential stress axis regulator, as this D-amino acid does not promote gut inflammation.</p> <p>The robust inhibition of ACTH in the anterior pituitary by D-alanine, and D-serine (Chapter 2), is not directly linked to NMDA receptor or GlyRs activity, but may involve the SGK1 system, which interacts with POMC, precursor to ACTH, and the amino acid transporter Asc-1 (Chapter 3). However, ingestion of D-serine supplements may have a pro-inflammatory effect in the gut, as observed in Caco-2 colorectal cells in Chapter 4. The inhibition of HPA axis hormones (Corticosterone) by D-alanine and D-serine was also observed in CD1 mice (Chapter 5).</p>
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spelling oxford-uuid:8cfa2a5d-d4b5-4657-8dc9-6bb1af6f9daa2022-09-08T13:20:40ZInvestigating the role of D-alanine and D-serine in the gut and brain, an in vivo and in vitro studyThesishttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_db06uuid:8cfa2a5d-d4b5-4657-8dc9-6bb1af6f9daaneurosciencesEnglishHyrax Deposit2021Naidoo, KBurnet, P<p>D-alanine co-localization to corticotroph cells of the anterior pituitary inspired the research in this thesis, as this co-localization may imply a relationship. Investigations into effects that D-alanine have on the anterior pituitary, via AtT20 cells found that D-alanine does in fact have an inhibitory relationship on ACTH secretion in AtT20 cells, and this was robustly proven. Additionally, D-serine was investigated for comparison, and this D-amino acid had similar effects. To ascertain inhibitory hormone effects by D-amino acids, an in vivo study using CD1 mice found that animals treated with D-alanine or D-serine had lower levels of corticosterone in their plasma. This supported the finding that these Damino acids have an inhibitory effect on HPA axis hormones.</p> <p>In order to manipulate this regulation for potential therapeutic benefits the mechanism behind this inhibition was sought, and I found that this may be via a combination of Asc-1 and ASCT2 amino acid transporters and the SGK-1-POMC system. NMDARs and GlyRs were explored but the data did not support the direct involvement of these receptors in inhibition of HPA axis hormones: ACTH and corticosterone. Asc-1 involvement was determined by transfecting AtT20 cells with Asc-1 and observing a more pronounced inhibition in cells overexpressed with this amino acid transporter and treated with Dalanine. To support the in vitro data, 2 in vivo studies were performed – a model that increased Dalanine by feeding it to CD1 mice and a germ free model, which would lack D-alanine due to the lack of gut microbiota, the source of mammalian D-alanine. However the ‘D-alanine knockout model’ of germ-free mice did not have opposing effects on SGK1 and POMC in the cortex – though this may be due to presence of D-serine in these animals, as D-serine and D-alanine was found to exert similar effects on HPA axis hormones and SGK1. Determining that D-amino acids may have a therapeutic benefit of HPA axis regulation, the effects these molecules exert on the site of entry, the gut, was investigated in colorectal Human carcinoma cells Caco-2, and it was found that D-serine had pro-inflammatory effects on these gut cells, but not D-alanine, however the mechanism behind this inflammation was not determined. However, this was an interesting find as it supports the use of D-alanine over D-serine as a potential stress axis regulator, as this D-amino acid does not promote gut inflammation.</p> <p>The robust inhibition of ACTH in the anterior pituitary by D-alanine, and D-serine (Chapter 2), is not directly linked to NMDA receptor or GlyRs activity, but may involve the SGK1 system, which interacts with POMC, precursor to ACTH, and the amino acid transporter Asc-1 (Chapter 3). However, ingestion of D-serine supplements may have a pro-inflammatory effect in the gut, as observed in Caco-2 colorectal cells in Chapter 4. The inhibition of HPA axis hormones (Corticosterone) by D-alanine and D-serine was also observed in CD1 mice (Chapter 5).</p>
spellingShingle neurosciences
Naidoo, K
Investigating the role of D-alanine and D-serine in the gut and brain, an in vivo and in vitro study
title Investigating the role of D-alanine and D-serine in the gut and brain, an in vivo and in vitro study
title_full Investigating the role of D-alanine and D-serine in the gut and brain, an in vivo and in vitro study
title_fullStr Investigating the role of D-alanine and D-serine in the gut and brain, an in vivo and in vitro study
title_full_unstemmed Investigating the role of D-alanine and D-serine in the gut and brain, an in vivo and in vitro study
title_short Investigating the role of D-alanine and D-serine in the gut and brain, an in vivo and in vitro study
title_sort investigating the role of d alanine and d serine in the gut and brain an in vivo and in vitro study
topic neurosciences
work_keys_str_mv AT naidook investigatingtheroleofdalanineanddserineinthegutandbrainaninvivoandinvitrostudy