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Review
. 2013 Sep 15:6:57-66.
doi: 10.4137/IJTR.S12626.

The kynurenine pathway in stem cell biology

Simon P Jones  1 , Gilles J Guillemin, Bruce J Brew
Affiliations
Review

The kynurenine pathway in stem cell biology

Simon P Jones et al. Int J Tryptophan Res. .

Abstract

The kynurenine pathway (KP) is the main catabolic pathway of the essential amino acid tryptophan. The KP has been identified to play a critical role in regulating immune responses in a variety of experimental settings. It is also known to be involved in several neuroinflammatory diseases including Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease. This review considers the current understanding of the role of the KP in stem cell biology. Both of these fundamental areas of cell biology have independently been the focus of a burgeoning research interest in recent years. A systematic review of how the two interact has not yet been conducted. Several inflammatory and infectious diseases in which the KP has been implicated include those for which stem cell therapies are being actively explored at a clinical level. Therefore, it is highly relevant to consider the evidence showing that the KP influences stem cell biology and impacts the functional behavior of progenitor cells.

Keywords: 3-dioxygenase; embryonic stem cell; haematopoietic stem cell; indoleamine 2; kynurenine pathway; mesenchymal stem cell; neural stem cell; tryptophan.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hierarchy of stem cells.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Overview of the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism. Note: Key enzymes are indicated in red. Abbreviations: IDO, Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase; TDO2, Tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase; KYNU, Kynureninase; KATs, Kynurenine aminotransferases; KMO, Kynurenine 3-monooxygenase; 3HAO, 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid oxygenase; ACMSD, Aminocarboxymuconate-semialdehyde decarboxylase; QPRT, quinolinic acid phosphoribosyltransferase.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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