The Causative Role and Therapeutic Potential of the Kynurenine Pathway in Neurodegenerative Disease
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J Mol Med (2013) 91:705–713 DOI 10.1007/s00109-013-1046-9 REVIEW The causative role and therapeutic potential of the kynurenine pathway in neurodegenerative disease Marta Amaral & Tiago F. Outeiro & Nigel S. Scrutton & Flaviano Giorgini Received: 14 January 2013 /Revised: 11 April 2013 /Accepted: 17 April 2013 /Published online: 1 May 2013 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013 Abstract Metabolites of the kynurenine pathway (KP), inhibitors which may ultimately expedite clinical applica- which arise from the degradation of tryptophan, have been tion of these compounds. studied in detail for over a century and garnered the interest of the neuroscience community in the late 1970s and early Keywords Kynurenine 3-monooxygenase . 1980s with work uncovering the neuromodulatory potential Kynurenine pathway . Neurodegenerative disease of this pathway. Much research in the following decades has found that perturbations in the levels of KP metabolites likely contribute to the pathogenesis of several neurodegen- The kynurenine pathway erative diseases. More recently, it has become apparent that targeting KP enzymes, in particular kynurenine 3- The kynurenine pathway (KP) degrades >95 % of tryptophan in monooxygenase (KMO), may hold substantial therapeutic mammals by a series of enzymatic reactions that ultimately leads potential for these disorders. Here we provide an overview to the formation of the cofactor nicotinamide adenosine dinu- of the KP, the neuroactive properties of KP metabolites and cleotide (NAD+). The metabolites formed during this cascade their role in neurodegeneration. We also discuss KMO as a include a subset which are neuroactive or have the capacity to therapeutic target for these disorders, and our recent resolu- generate free radicals. The initial step in the KP is the oxidative tion of the crystallographic structure of KMO, which will cleavage of the indole-ring present in L-tryptophan yielding N- permit the development of new and improved KMO formylkynurenine, which in the brain is catalyzed by either indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase-1 (IDO1), indoleamine-2,3- dioxygenase-2 (IDO-2), or tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase M. Amaral : F. Giorgini (*) (TDO2), followed by the synthesis of the first stable intermedi- Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, ate L-kynurenine (L-KYN) [1, 2](Fig.1). Subsequently, L- Leicester LE1 7RH, UK KYN is metabolized via three different routes. In the first, L- e-mail: [email protected] KYN is deaminated to form the neuroactive metabolite M. Amaral : N. S. Scrutton kynurenic acid (KYNA) by the kynurenine aminotransferase Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, (KAT) family of enzymes, four of which can catalyze this The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, reaction in mammalian brains [3]. In the second route, the same Manchester M1 7DN, UK substrate is degraded to anthranilic acid by kynureninase. And in M. Amaral : T. F. Outeiro the third route, L-KYN is hydroxylated by kynurenine 3- Cell and Molecular Neuroscience Unit, monooxygenase (KMO) into the free radical generator 3- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Lisboa, Portugal hydroxykynurenine (3-HK). 3-HK is metabolized further into a second free radical generator, 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (3- M. Amaral : T. F. Outeiro Instituto de Fisiologia, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de HANA), by kynureninase and then oxidized into 2-amino-3- Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal carboxymuconic 6-semialdehyde by 3-hydroxyanthranilate 3,4- dioxygenase. This intermediate then undergoes non-enzymatic T. F. Outeiro cyclization yielding the excitotoxic metabolite quinolinic acid Department of Neurodegeneration and Restorative Research, University Medical Center Goettingen, Waldweg 33, (QUIN), which is subsequently transaminated to generate nico- 37073 Goettingen, Germany tinic acid, and ultimately the final KP product NAD+ [4]. 706 J Mol Med (2013) 91:705–713 Fig. 1 Schematic overview of the kynurenine pathway, the major route of tryptophan degradation in higher eukaryotes. Enzymes are indicated in italics. The neurotoxic metabolites QUIN and 3-HK are highlighted in red and the neuroprotective metabolite KYNA in green The role of kynurenine metabolites in health and disease modulate T cells by suppressing their proliferation and in- ducing apoptosis, thereby mediating immune tolerance [7]. The physiological role of the KP was initially thought to be Of particular importance in the latter process is IDO, which limited to the formation of the coenzyme NAD+, which is has been found to promote immune tolerance to foreign involved in several biological processes such as redox re- antigens in cases of over-activation of the immune system, actions essential for mitochondrial function and energy me- preventing tissue damage [8, 9]. However, this immune tabolism [5]. Subsequent studies have established that the suppression can also result in the inability of the immune metabolites produced by this biosynthetic pathway—known system to prevent tumor growth and survival. Indeed, IDO as kynurenines—play a variety of roles in the peripheral has been shown to be overexpressed in tumors [10, 11]. immune system and the central nervous system. Recent studies have also found a correlation between IDO Kynurenines are involved in peripheral immunomodulation activity and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) activation by which inhibits growth of intracellular pathogens, the main- the endogenous ligand L-KYN, which appears to be impor- tenance of maternal immune tolerance which prevents em- tant in promoting generation of regulator T cells and there- bryo rejection, and immune surveillance [6]. KP metabolites fore suppressing self-reactive cells and immune responses J Mol Med (2013) 91:705–713 707 [12, 13]. IDO inhibitors have been shown to significantly structures of KATs from different organisms [29–31]. The promote tumoral immune rejection and increase the efficien- level of KYNA is reduced in several neurodegenerative dis- cy of chemotherapeutic agents [14, 15]. Complementary eases such as Huntington’s disease (HD) and Alzheimer’s recent work also suggests that TDO activity in tumor cells disease (AD) [32], which likely plays an important role in constitutively generates L-KYN, which in turn serves as a modulating neurotoxicity. Two additional KP metabolites ligand for the AHR, thereby suppressing antitumor immune have been implicated in neurodegeneration: 3-HK and 3- responses and promoting tumor cell survival [16]. HANA. These tryptophan metabolites are neurotoxic because In addition, KP metabolites play important roles in they induce the formation of free radicals and elevate the the central nervous system in both normal physiology oxidative stress level causing neuronal death [33, 34]. 3-HK and disease states. These metabolites were first linked and 3-HANA also stimulate the formation of chemokines by with neurological conditions in 1978 when the stimulant inducing target receptors in astrocytes, thereby potentiating and convulsive effects of kynurenines in the murine brain inflammation [35, 36]. The concentration of these KP brain were described, with a particularly strong effect metabolites are in the range of nanomolar levels in mamma- of QUIN observed in motor excitement [17]. Subse- lian brains but they have been found to be significantly in- quently, it was found that QUIN selectively activates creased in pathological conditions such as HD [37], N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, which can lead Parkinson’s disease (PD) [38], and human immunodeficiency to excitotoxicity, and that intrastriatal injections of this virus (HIV)-1-associated dementia [39]. Neuronal cell culture metabolite lead to axon-sparing neuronal lesions proxi- studies also provide strong evidence that 3-HK and 3-HANA mal to the site of injection [18, 19]. QUIN has been potentiate cell death with apoptotic features, with cortical and shown to stimulate lipid peroxidation, production of striatal neurons being the most vulnerable to KP metabolites reactive oxygen species, and mitochondrial dysfunction toxicity [33]. Furthermore, 3-HK potentiates QUIN-induced [20, 21]. Studies performed in organotypic cultures of excitotoxicity such that intrastriatal coinjection of both me- rat corticostriatal system indicate that concentrations of tabolites results in substantial neuronal loss, whereas the same QUIN even just slightly higher than physiological con- doses applied individually do not cause neurodegeneration centrations can cause neurodegeneration after a few [40]. Finally, recent work has shown that two additional KP weeks of exposure [22]. Spinal neurons have been metabolites—xanthurenic acid and cinnabarinic acid—are found to be especially sensitive to QUIN variations neuroactive by modulating activity of metabotropic glutamate causing cell death with just nanomolar concentrations receptors, and thus may also play a role in neurodegenerative of this metabolite [23]. processes [41, 42]. At high micromolar concentrations, KYNA is a non- selective NMDA receptor antagonist and can also block ex- citatory neurotransmission of other ionotropic amino acid re- Perturbation of KP metabolites in neurodegeneration ceptors such as kainate and AMPA receptors [4, 24]. KYNA has also been shown to be a ligand for GPR35, an orphan G Alterations in levels of KP metabolites have been implicated protein-coupled receptor [25]. In addition, KYNA is a non- in the pathophysiology of several neurological conditions competitive antagonist of α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors such as HD, AD, PD, AIDS-dementia