On the regulation of human D‐aspartate oxidase

The human flavoenzyme D‐aspartate oxidase (hDASPO) controls the level of D‐aspartate in the brain, a molecule acting as an agonist of NMDA receptors and modulator of AMPA and mGlu5 receptors. hDASPO‐induced D‐aspartate degradation prevents age‐dependent deterioration of brain functions and is related to psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism. Notwithstanding this crucial role, less is known about hDASPO regulation. Here, we report that hDASPO is nitrosylated in vitro, while no evidence of sulfhydration and phosphorylation is apparent: nitrosylation affects the activity of the human flavoenzyme to a limited extent. Furthermore, hDASPO interacts with the primate‐specific protein pLG72 (a well‐known negative chaperone of D‐amino acid oxidase, the enzyme deputed to D‐serine degradation in the human brain), yielding a ~114 kDa complex, with a micromolar dissociation constant, promoting the flavoenzyme inactivation. At the cellular level, pLG72 and hDASPO generate a cytosolic complex: the expression of pLG72 negatively affects the hDASPO level by reducing its half‐life. We propose that pLG72 binding may represent a protective mechanism aimed at avoiding cytotoxicity due to H(2)O(2) produced by the hDASPO enzymatic degradation of D‐aspartate, especially before the final targeting to peroxisomes.