Linked Life Data

22069570

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/22069570

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
11
pubmed:dateCreated
2011-11-9
pubmed:abstractText
The neurotoxic non-protein amino acid, ?-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), was first associated with the high incidence of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/Parkinsonism Dementia Complex (ALS/PDC) in Guam. Recently, BMAA has been implicated as a fierce environmental factor that contributes to the etiology of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, in addition to ALS. However, the toxicity of BMAA in vivo has not been clearly demonstrated. Here we report our investigation of the neurotoxicity of BMAA in Drosophila. We found that dietary intake of BMAA reduced life span, locomotor functions, and learning and memory abilities in flies. The severity of the alterations in phenotype is correlated with the concentration of BMAA detected in flies. Interestingly, developmental exposure to BMAA had limited impact on survival rate, but reduced fertility in females, and caused delayed neurological impairment in aged adults. Our studies indicate that BMAA exposure causes chronic neurotoxicity, and that Drosophila serves as a useful model in dissecting the pathogenesis of ALS/PDC.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:status
PubMed-not-MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Nov
pubmed:issn
2072-6651
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:volume
2
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
2663-79
pubmed:dateRevised
2011-11-14
pubmed:year
2010
pubmed:articleTitle
?-N-Methylamino-L-alanine Induces Neurological Deficits and Shortened Life Span in Drosophila.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida 33136, USA; Email: zhouxchong@gmail.com.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article