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EAAT
Glutamate transporters are a family of neurotransmitter transporter proteins that move glutamate – the principal excitatory neurotransmitter – across a membrane. The family of glutamate transporters is composed of two primary subclasses: the excitatory amino acid transporter (EAAT) family and vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT) family. In the brain, EAATs remove glutamate from the synaptic cleft and extrasynaptic sites via glutamate reuptake into glial cells and neurons, while VGLUTs move glutamate from the cell cytoplasm into synaptic vesicles. Glutamate transporters also transport aspartate and are present in virtually all peripheral tissues, including the heart, liver, testes, and bone. They exhibit stereoselectivity for L-glutamate but transport both L-aspartate and D-aspartate. The EAATs are membrane-bound secondary transporters that superficially resemble ion channels. These transporters play the important role of regulating concentrations of glutamate in the extr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
VGLUT2
Glutamate transporters are a family of neurotransmitter transporter proteins that move glutamate – the principal excitatory neurotransmitter – across a membrane. The family of glutamate transporters is composed of two primary subclasses: the excitatory amino acid transporter (EAAT) family and vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT) family. In the brain, EAATs remove glutamate from the synaptic cleft and extrasynaptic sites via glutamate reuptake into glial cells and neurons, while VGLUTs move glutamate from the cell cytoplasm into synaptic vesicles. Glutamate transporters also transport aspartate and are present in virtually all peripheral tissues, including the heart, liver, testes, and bone. They exhibit stereoselectivity for L-glutamate but transport both L-aspartate and D-aspartate. The EAATs are membrane-bound secondary transporters that superficially resemble ion channels. These transporters play the important role of regulating concentrations of glutamate in the extracel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
EAAT2
Excitatory amino acid transporter 2 (EAAT2) also known as solute carrier family 1 member 2 (SLC1A2) and glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SLC1A2'' gene. Alternatively spliced transcript variants of this gene have been described, but their full-length nature is not known. Function SLC1A2 / EAAT2 is a member of a family of the solute carrier family of proteins. The membrane-bound protein is the principal transporter that clears the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate from the extracellular space at synapses in the central nervous system. Glutamate clearance is necessary for proper synaptic activation and to prevent neuronal damage from excessive activation of glutamate receptors. EAAT2 is responsible for over 90% of glutamate reuptake within the brain. Clinical significance Mutations in and decreased expression of this protein are associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The drug riluzole approved for the treatment ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
EAAT1
Excitatory amino acid transporter 1 (EAAT1) is a protein that, in humans, is encoded by the ''SLC1A3'' gene. EAAT1 is also often called the GLutamate ASpartate Transporter 1 (GLAST-1). EAAT1 is predominantly expressed in the plasma membrane, allowing it to remove glutamate from the extracellular space. It has also been localized in the inner mitochondrial membrane as part of the malate-aspartate shuttle. Mechanism EAAT1 functions ''in vivo'' as a homotrimer. EAAT1 mediates the transport of glutamic acid, glutamic and aspartic acid with the Co-transport, cotransport of three sodium, Na+ and one proton, H+ ion, cations and counter transport of one potassium, K+ cation. This co-transport coupling (or symport) allows the transport of glutamate into cells against a concentration gradient. Tissue distribution EAAT1 is expressed throughout the Central nervous system, CNS, and is highly expressed in astrocytes and Bergmann glia in the cerebellum. In the retina, EAAT1 is expr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
EAAT3
Excitatory amino acid transporter 3 (EAAT3), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SLC1A1'' gene. Tissue distribution EAAT3 is expressed on the plasma membrane of neurons, specifically on the dendrites and axon terminals. Function Excitatory amino acid transporter 3 is a member of the high-affinity glutamate transporters which plays an essential role in transporting glutamate across plasma membranes in neurons. In the brain, excitatory amino acid transporters are crucial in terminating the postsynaptic action of the neurotransmitter glutamate, and in maintaining extracellular glutamate concentrations below neurotoxic levels. EAAT3 also transports aspartate, and mutations in this gene are thought to cause dicarboxylic aminoaciduria, also known as glutamate-aspartate transport defect. EAAT3 is also the major route of neuronal cysteine uptake. Cysteine is a component of the major antioxidant glutathione, and mice lacking EAAT3 exhibit reduced levels of glutathione ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
EAAT4
Excitatory amino-acid transporter 4 (EAAT4) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SLC1A6'' gene. EAAT4 is expressed predominantly in the cerebellum, has high affinity for the excitatory amino acids L- aspartate and L-glutamate Glutamic acid (symbol Glu or E; the ionic form is known as glutamate) is an α-amino acid that is used by almost all living beings in the biosynthesis of proteins. It is a non-essential nutrient for humans, meaning that the human body can syn .... When stimulated by these amino acids, EAAT4 conducts chloride ions. References Further reading * * * * * * * * * * Solute carrier family Glutamate (neurotransmitter) {{gene-19-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neurotransmitter Transporter
Neurotransmitter transporters are a class of membrane transport proteins that span the cellular membranes of neurons. Their primary function is to carry neurotransmitters across these membranes and to direct their further transport to specific intracellular locations. There are more than twenty types of neurotransmitter transporters. Vesicular transporters move neurotransmitters into synaptic vesicles, regulating the concentrations of substances within them. Vesicular transporters rely on a proton gradient created by the hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in order to carry out their work: v-ATPase hydrolyzes ATP, causing protons to be pumped into the synaptic vesicles and creating a proton gradient. Then the efflux of protons from the vesicle provides the energy to bring the neurotransmitter into the vesicle. Neurotransmitter transporters frequently use electrochemical gradients that exist across cell membranes to carry out their work. For example, some transporters use ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Astroglia
Astrocytes (from Ancient Greek , , "star" + , , "cavity", "cell"), also known collectively as astroglia, are characteristic star-shaped glial cells in the brain and spinal cord. They perform many functions, including biochemical control of endothelial cells that form the blood–brain barrier, provision of nutrients to the nervous tissue, maintenance of extracellular ion balance, regulation of cerebral blood flow, and a role in the repair and scarring process of the brain and spinal cord following infection and traumatic injuries. The proportion of astrocytes in the brain is not well defined; depending on the counting technique used, studies have found that the astrocyte proportion varies by region and ranges from 20% to 40% of all glia. Another study reports that astrocytes are the most numerous cell type in the brain. Astrocytes are the major source of cholesterol in the central nervous system. Apolipoprotein E transports cholesterol from astrocytes to neurons and other glial ce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reuptake
Reuptake is the reabsorption of a neurotransmitter by a neurotransmitter transporter located along the plasma membrane of an axon terminal (i.e., the pre-synaptic neuron at a synapse) or glial cell after it has performed its function of transmitting a neural impulse. Reuptake is necessary for normal synaptic physiology because it allows for the recycling of neurotransmitters and regulates the level of neurotransmitter present in the synapse, thereby controlling how long a signal resulting from neurotransmitter release lasts. Because neurotransmitters are too large and hydrophilic to diffuse through the membrane, specific transport proteins are necessary for the reabsorption of neurotransmitters. Much research, both biochemical and structural, has been performed to obtain clues about the mechanism of reuptake. Protein structure The first primary sequence of a reuptake protein was published in 1990. The technique for protein sequence determination relied upon the purification, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
EAAT5
Excitatory amino-acid transporter 5 (EAAT5) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SLC1A7'' gene. EAAT5 is expressed predominantly in the retina, has high affinity for the excitatory amino acid L-glutamate Glutamic acid (symbol Glu or E; the ionic form is known as glutamate) is an α-amino acid that is used by almost all living beings in the biosynthesis of proteins. It is a non-essential nutrient for humans, meaning that the human body can syn .... When stimulated by this amino acid, EAAT5 conducts chloride ions. References Further reading * * * * * Solute carrier family Glutamate (neurotransmitter) {{gene-1-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Excitotoxicity
In excitotoxicity, nerve cells suffer damage or death when the levels of otherwise necessary and safe neurotransmitters such as glutamate become pathologically high, resulting in excessive stimulation of receptors. For example, when glutamate receptors such as the NMDA receptor or AMPA receptor encounter excessive levels of the excitatory neurotransmitter, glutamate, significant neuronal damage might ensue. Excess glutamate allows high levels of calcium ions (Ca2+) to enter the cell. Ca2+ influx into cells activates a number of enzymes, including phospholipases, endonucleases, and proteases such as calpain. These enzymes go on to damage cell structures such as components of the cytoskeleton, membrane, and DNA. In evolved, complex adaptive systems such as biological life it must be understood that mechanisms are rarely, if ever, simplistically direct. For example, NMDA in subtoxic amounts induces neuronal survival of otherwise toxic levels of glutamate. Excitotoxicity may be inv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Electrochemical Gradient
An electrochemical gradient is a gradient of electrochemical potential, usually for an ion that can move across a membrane. The gradient consists of two parts, the chemical gradient, or difference in solute concentration across a membrane, and the electrical gradient, or difference in charge across a membrane. When there are unequal concentrations of an ion across a permeable membrane, the ion will move across the membrane from the area of higher concentration to the area of lower concentration through simple diffusion. Ions also carry an electric charge that forms an electric potential across a membrane. If there is an unequal distribution of charges across the membrane, then the difference in electric potential generates a force that drives ion diffusion until the charges are balanced on both sides of the membrane. Electrochemical gradients are essential to the operation of batteries and other electrochemical cells, photosynthesis and cellular respiration, and certain other bio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
VGLUT3
Vesicular glutamate transporter 3 (VGLUT3) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SLC17A8'' gene. Function This gene encodes a vesicular glutamate transporter. The encoded protein transports the neurotransmitter glutamate into synaptic vesicles before it is released into the synaptic cleft. Clinical significance Mutations in this gene are the cause of autosomal-dominant nonsyndromic deafness Nonsyndromic deafness is hearing loss that is not associated with other signs and symptoms. In contrast, syndromic deafness involves hearing loss that occurs with abnormalities in other parts of the body. Genetic changes are related to the follow ... type 25 (DFNA25). References Further reading * * * * * * * * * Glutamate (neurotransmitter) Solute carrier family {{gene-12-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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