期刊名称:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN:0027-8424
电子版ISSN:1091-6490
出版年度:2005
卷号:102
期号:17
页码:6154-6159
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0501431102
语种:English
出版社:The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要:{gamma}-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporters (GATs) play an important role in inhibitory neurotransmission by clearing synaptically released GABA and by maintaining low resting levels of GABA in synaptic and extrasynaptic regions. In certain brain regions, vesicular zinc is colocalized and coreleased with glutamate and modulates the behavior of a number of channels, receptors, and transporters. We examined the effect of zinc on expressed GATs (GAT1, GAT2, GAT3, and GAT4) in Xenopus laevis oocytes by using tracer flux and electrophysiological methods. We show that zinc is a potent inhibitor of GAT4 (Ki of 3 {micro}M). Immunolocalization of GAT4 in the hippocampus revealed dense localization in the CA1 and CA3 regions of the hippocampus, regions which are known to be heavily populated by zinc-containing glutamatergic neurons. The results suggest a physiological role of synaptically released zinc in the hippocampus, because zinc released from hyperactive glutamatergic neurons may simultaneously bring about elevated GABAergic inhibition. Therefore, this mode of zinc function signifies a link between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission and may play a neuroprotective role against glutamate-induced excitotoxicity.
关键词:glutamate ; transport ; synapse ; Xenopus oocytes