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Updated: May 20, 2026

Förster Resonance Energy Transfer Mapping: A New Methodology to Elucidate Global Structural Features
Published on: March 16, 2022
Serine racemase: an unconventional enzyme for an unconventional transmitter
Herman Wolosker1, Hisashi Mori
1Department of Biochemistry, B. Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, 31096, Haifa, Israel. hwolosker@tx.technion.ac.il
Abstract:
The discovery of large amounts of D-serine in the brain challenged the dogma that only L-amino acids are relevant for eukaryotes. The levels of D-serine in the brain are higher than many L-amino acids and account for as much as one-third of L-serine levels. Several studies in the last decades have demonstrated a role of D-serine as an endogenous agonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs). D-Serine is required for NMDAR activity during normal neurotransmission as well as NMDAR overactivation that takes place in neurodegenerative conditions. Still, there are many unanswered questions about D-serine neurobiology, including regulation of its synthesis, release and metabolism. Here, we review the mechanisms of D-serine synthesis by serine racemase and discuss the lessons we can learn from serine racemase knockout mice, focusing on the roles attributed to D-serine and its cellular origin.
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