Abstract
Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) is a sulfur-containing organic acid, which has various physiological functions, including membrane stabilization, cell-volume regulation, mitochondrial protein translocation, anti-oxidative activity, neuroprotection against neurotoxicity and modulation of intracellular calcium levels. Taurine also activates GABAA receptors and glycine receptors. Mammalian fetuses and infants are dependent on taurine delivered from their mothers via either the placenta or their mother’s milk. Taurine is a molecule that links mother-fetus or mother-infant bonding.
This review describes the functions of taurine and the mechanisms of action of taurine in fetal and brain development. Taurine is involved in regulating the proliferation of neural progenitors, migration of newly-generated neurons, and the synapse formation of neurons after migration during fetal and neonatal development. In this review, we also discuss the environmental factors that might influence the functional roles of taurine in neural development.
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Abbreviations
- CNS:
-
Central nervous system
- GABA:
-
γ-aminobutyric acid
- NMDA:
-
N-methyl-D-aspartate
- TauT:
-
Taurine transporter
- VZ:
-
Ventricular zone
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Acknowledgements
The author acknowledges Grants-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)#21791035 and #23791227, and for Scientific Research (C) #26461629 from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science for the preparation of this manuscript. The content of this review is solely the responsibility of the author.
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Tochitani, S. (2017). Functions of Maternally-Derived Taurine in Fetal and Neonatal Brain Development. In: Lee, DH., Schaffer, S.W., Park, E., Kim, H.W. (eds) Taurine 10. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 975. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1079-2_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1079-2_2
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