TOXICITY OF B-N-OXALYLAMINO-L-ALANINE ANDB-N-METHYLAMINO-L-ALANINE IN NIH3T3 CELLS IS MEDIATED BY INHIBITIONOF THE XC¯ ANTIPORTER

Beta-N-oxalylamino-L-alanine (BOAA) and beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) are two non-protein amino acids reported to induce neuronal degeneration. They have been involved in the pathogenesis of rare motor neuron diseases, as neurolathyrism or the ALS-Parkinson-Dementia complex of Guam. The mechanisms by which BOAA and BMAA toxicity is explicated is still unknown, but there is evidence that it might involve the inhibition of Xc¯ antiporter, that is the rate-limiting transporter of the synthesis of intracellular glutathione. In the present study, we investigated the mechanisms of BOAA and BMAA toxicity in the non-neuronal NIH3T3 cells. First, we treated NIH3T3 cells with BOAA or BMAA at di…