title: Age-dependent decrease of retinal kynurenate and kynurenine aminotransferases in DBA/2J mice, a model of ocular hypertension.
abstract: The study examines age-dependent changes of kynurenic acid (KYNA) content and kynurenine aminotransferases (KAT I and KAT II) celluar expression in the retinas of DBA/2J mice. Retinas were obtained from DBA/2J mice of different ages (3, 6 and 11 months). C57BL6 mice were used as controls. As measured with HPLC, KYNA content decreased (p < 0.01) in the retinas of 6-month-old DBA/2J mice and continued to decrease (p < 0.0074) in the retinas of 11-month-old animals compared to the controls. Immunohistochemistry showed that expression of both KAT I and KAT II decreased markedly in the retinas of 11-month-old DBA/2J mice compared to controls. The impairment in KYNA biosynthesis in the retinas of DBA/2J mice may be one of the mechanisms of retinal neurodegeneration related to ocular hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology of Vision and Neuro-Ophthalmology, Division of Experimental Opthalmology, University Eye Hospital, Röntgenweg 11, 72076 Tübingen, Germany. rrejdak@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rejdak
authors.forename: Konrad
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kohler
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kocki
authors.forename: Yana
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shenk
authors.forename: Waldemar A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Turski
authors.forename: Etsuo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Okuno
authors.forename: Cristiana
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lehaci
authors.forename: Zbigniew
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zagorski
authors.forename: Eberhart
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zrenner
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schuettauf
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D007736:Kynurenic Acid / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D023421:Models, Animal; D009798:Ocular Hypertension / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012160:Retina / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000637:Transaminases / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000637:Transaminases; C021481:kynurenine-oxoglutarate transaminase; D007736:Kynurenic Acid