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Article: MAVERICK MOLECULE IN BRAIN BREAKS LAW.
- Article from:
- BIOWORLD Today
- Article date:
- November 16, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 A Thomson Healthcare Company. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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"To find a dextro-amino acid in humans," observed neuroscientist Solomon Snyder, "is unprecedented. It's the equivalent of finding a pterodactyl [bat-winged flying dinosaur] in your local pet shop."
Snyder, director of neuroscience at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and his co-workers have in effect done just that. Back in 1993, a Japanese group reported encountering the oddity - a D (dextro)-serine amino acid - in the brains of rats.
"This was against the laws of nature," Snyder said. "There are no D-amino acids in animals. In insects and bacteria, yes; in mammals, no."
When he saw this contrarian report, Snyder told Michael Schell, his ...