D-Amino Acid Oxidase (DAO)

DAO encodes the peroxisomal enzyme D-amino acid oxidase. The enzyme is a flavoprotein which uses flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) as its prosthetic group. Its substrates include a wide variety of D-amino acids, but it is inactive on the naturally occurring L-amino acids. Its biological function is not known; it may act as a detoxifying agent which removes D-amino acids that accumulate during aging. In mice, it degrades D-serine, a co-agonist of the NMDA receptor. This gene may play a role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The biologic role of DAMOX and DASOX has been thought to be protection against L-amino acids of fungi, bacteria and insects, or contribution to acid-base balance in the kidney.