Functional expression and CNS distribution of a beta-alanine-sensitive neuronal GABA transporter

Cellular distribution and regulation by cAMP of the GABA transporter (GAT-1) mRNA

The high-affinity GABA transporter in neurons and glial cells is the primary means of inactivating synaptic GABA. In the present study, a rat GABA transporter (GAT-1)-specific probe was used to quantitate GAT-1 mRNA in cultured neurons and glial cells from rat brain. GAT-1 mRNA is expressed in neurons but not in pure cultures of astrocytes. Incubation of neurons with forskolin led to concentration- and time-dependent decreases in GAT-1 mRNA. This effect could be also achieved by chronic exposure of neurons to 8-Br-cAMP and dib-cAMP but not with 1,9-dideoxyforskolin. This effect on the levels of GAT-1 mRNA correlates with a decrease in the Na(+)-dependent GABA transport activity in neurons. Treatment with agents that increase cellular levels of cAMP did not affect GABA transport or GAT-1 mRNA expression in glial cells.

GABA uptake and release by a mammalian cell line stably expressing a cloned rat brain GABA transporter

In order to facilitate study of the neuronal GABA transporter and provide a convenient system for potential drug screening, we have established a CHO cell line, designated 1F9, which stably expresses the cloned GABA transporter from rat brain (GAT-1). 1F9 cells transport GABA at levels approximately 300-fold higher than untransfected CHO cells, and GABA transport in these cells has the following properties: (1) a dependence on sodium and chloride ions; (2) higher sensitivity to neuronal subtype uptake inhibitors (DABA and ACHC) than to glial subtype inhibitors (beta-alanine and THPO); and (3) Km (2.5 microM) and IC50 values for various competitive ligands that are comparable with values determined in synaptosomes and brain slices. Given the fidelity with which the 1F9 cell line expresses these characteristics of the native neuronal GABA transporter, we have used it to further address GABA transporter activity. [3H]GABA uptake by 1F9 cells is inhibited approximately 50% by the chloride transport blockers DIDS and SITS. The GABA receptor agonists muscimol and baclofen also inhibit GABA transport; however, the receptor antagonists bicuculline and phaclofen have no effect. 1F9 cells also show release of [3H]GABA release is calcium independent, and is differentially affected by changes in the ion gradient, as well as by the presence of external substrates and uptake blockers. These experiments indicate that 1F9 cells provide a convenient system for the screening of GABA transport inhibitors.

Ions required for the electrogenic transport of GABA by horizontal cells of the catfish retina

1. Solitary horizontal cells were isolated from catfish retinas. Membrane currents activated by extracellular and intracellular GABA were characterized during a whole-cell voltage clamp. 2. Extracellular GABA activated two currents: a GABAA current, and an 'influx' current mediated by a GABA transporter. The influx current was studied after the GABAA current was blocked with 0.5 mM picrotoxin. The influx current required extracellular Na+ and Cl-. Extracellular Na+ could not be replaced by another alkali metal cation. 3. The influx current also depended upon the identity of ions in the intracellular solution. Either an intracellular alkali metal cation or Cl- was required to produce an influx current. 4. The influx current was inward at -75 mV and decreased as the membrane was depolarized towards +20 mV. When the membrane was depolarized beyond +25 mV, the polarity of the current depended upon the ion composition of the intracellular solution and could be inward, zero or outward. 5. The introduction of GABA into a cell during the course of an experiment produced an outward current. This 'efflux' current was small at -75 mV and increased with depolarization. The efflux current required intracellular Na+ and Cl-. Intracellular Na+ could not be replaced by another alkali metal cation. 6. The efflux current also depended upon the identity of ions in the extracellular solution. An extracellular alkali metal cation was required to produce an efflux current. Removing extracellular Cl- did not affect the efflux current. 7. The outward movement of GABA produced a local accumulation in extracellular GABA concentration that could be detected by the activation of the GABAA current. GABA efflux only occurred during conditions that produced an efflux current. Electroneutral efflux did not occur. 8. In the absence of GABA, extracellular alkali metal cations produced a 'leakage' current. The leakage current was inward at -75 mV and decreased as the membrane was depolarized towards +20 mV. When the membrane was depolarized beyond +25 mV, the polarity of the leakage current depended, like the GABA influx current, upon the ion composition of the intracellular solution and could be inward, zero or outward. The addition of GABA to the intracellular solution produced an efflux current and suppressed the leakage current. 9. We conclude that the transporter mediates electrogenic influx, efflux and leakage. Each mode of operation depends upon ions on both sides of the membrane. Influx and efflux are not symmetrical.

Cellular localization of serotonin transporter mRNA in the rat brain

Expression of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) transporter mRNA in the rat brain was examined by in situ hybridization histochemistry with a synthetic oligonucleotide probe. 5-HT transporter mRNA was expressed in neurons in most of the raphe nuclei. The dorsal and median raphe nuclei contained intensely labeled neurons, while the caudal linear nucleus, raphe magnus nucleus, raphe pontis nucleus, raphe pallidus nucleus and the raphe obscurus nucleus contained weakly or moderately labeled neurons. The localization pattern of the 5-HT transporter mRNA-positive neurons coincides fairly well with that of 5-HT-immunoreactive neurons, indicating that 5-HT transporter is primarily located in serotonergic neurons.

Transient presence of GABA in astrocytes of the developing optic nerve

Immunostaining and high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used to study the developmental time course of astrocytic gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) expression in rat optic nerve. GABA immunostaining was carried out on cultured astrocytes, and on whole optic nerve. Confocal scanning laser microscopy was used to obtain optical sections in excised whole tissue in order to localize the cellular origins of GABA within the relatively intact optic nerve. GABA immunoreactivity was localized in astrocytes identified by GFAP staining; GABA staining was most intense in early neonatal optic nerve and attenuated over 3 weeks of postnatal development. The staining was pronounced in the astrocyte cell bodies and processes but not in the nucleus. There was a paucity of GABA immunoreactivity by postnatal day 20, both in culture and in whole optic nerve. A biochemical assay for optic nerve GABA using HPLC indicated a relatively high concentration of GABA in the neonate, which rapidly attenuated over the first 3 postnatal weeks. Immunoreactivity for the GABA synthesis enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) was pronounced in neonates but also attenuated with development. These results indicate that GABA and the GABA synthesis enzyme GAD are localized in astrocytes of optic nerve, and that their expression is transient during postnatal development.

Neural degeneration and the transport of neurotransmitters

A number of neurodegenerative diseases selectively affect distinct neuronal populations, but the mechanisms responsible for selective cell vulnerability have generally remained unclear. The toxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) reproduces the selective degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra characteristic of Parkinson's disease. The plasma membrane dopamine transporter mediates this selective toxicity through accumulation of the active metabolite N-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+). In contrast, the vesicular amine transporter protects against this form of injury by sequestering the toxin from its primary site of action in mitochondria. Together with the identification of defects in glutamate transport from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, these observations suggest that neurotransmitter transport may have a major role in neurodegenerative disease. The recent cloning of cDNAs encoding these transport proteins will help to explore this hypothesis.

From synapse to vesicle: the reuptake and storage of biogenic amine neurotransmitters

Biogenic amine transport systems in the presynaptic plasma membrane and the synaptic vesicle provide a mechanism for rapidly terminating the action of released transmitters and for recycling neurotransmitters. Alterations in the activity of these transporters, either by endogenous regulatory mechanisms or by drugs, affect the regulation of synaptic transmitter levels. For drugs such as antidepressants and stimulants that interact with these transport systems, the therapeutic and behavioral consequences are profound. Now that the cDNAs encoding the transporters have been isolated, we can expect rapid progress in understanding how the individual proteins work at the molecular level to couple ion gradients to the reuptake and storage of biogenic amine neurotransmitters.

Differential expression of GABA transporter-1 messenger RNA in subpopulations of GABA neurones

Using in situ hybridisation with an oligonucleotide probe, the regional distribution of GABA transporter-1 messenger RNA was determined in the adult rat CNS. Overall, the distribution of GABA transporter-1 mRNA was similar to that of glutamate decarboxylase-67 mRNA, consistent with an expression in GABA neurones. However, in cerebellar cortex, Purkinje cells which express high levels of glutamate decarboxylase-67 mRNA did not express GABA transporter-1 mRNA, whereas Bergmann glia expressed GABA transporter-1 mRNA at high levels. In some other brain regions, including the inferior colliculus and reticular thalamus, there was no GABA transporter-1, although there were neurones which expressed glutamate decarboxylase-67 messenger RNA at high levels.

Neurotransmitter transporters: three distinct gene families

Our understanding of the plasma membrane and vesicular transport systems that mediate neurotransmitter re-uptake has been greatly enhanced in the past year by the cloning and characterization of two additional gene families involved in this process, the excitatory amino acid transporters and the vesicular amine transporters. Additional members of the previously defined family of Na+/Cl(-)-dependent transporters continue to be identified.

Two glycine transporter variants with distinct localization in the CNS and peripheral tissues are encoded by a common gene

We have isolated a cDNA encoding a high affinity, Na+/Cl(-)-dependent glycine transporter, GLYT-2, which is distinct from another glycine transporter, GLYT-1. While the 3' sequences of these two cDNAs are identical, the 5' noncoding regions and the N-termini are completely different. GLYT-1 is found only in the white matter of the CNS, while GLYT-2 is found in the gray matter of the CNS as well as in macrophages and mast cells in peripheral tissues. Our findings suggest that tissue-specific alternative splicing or alternative promoter usage from a single gene results in two mRNA products encoding similar but distinct glycine transporters. The anatomic distribution of GLYT-2 mRNA supports the emerging status of glycine as a supraspinal neurotransmitter and suggests that glycine may function as a chemical messenger outside the CNS.

Amino acid neurotransmitter transporters: structure, function, and molecular diversity

Many biologically active compounds including neurotransmitters, metabolic precursors, and certain drugs are accumulated intracellularly by transporters that are coupled to the transmembrane Na+ gradient. Amino acid neurotransmitter transporters play a key role in the regulation of extracellular amino acid concentrations and termination of neurotransmission in the CNS section. Transporters for the major amino acid neurotransmitters glutamate, GABA, and glycine are found in both neurons and glial cells. Recent work has resulted in the identification of cDNAs encoding several amino acid neurotransmitter transport proteins, all of which belong to the Na(+)- and Cl(-)-dependent transporter gene family. The diversity of this family suggests a degree of transporter heterogeneity that is greater than that indicated by biochemical and pharmacological studies.

Families of twelve transmembrane domain transporters

Several functionally distinct families of transport proteins share the general structural motif of twelve transmembrane domains. The number of membrane proteins known to possess this common feature continues to expand with the cloning of transporters for various neurotransmitters, nucleosides, osmolytes and basic amino acids, in addition to the previously defined families of facilitative and sodium-driven sugar transporters.

Molecular characterization of the dopamine transporter

Neurotransmission, which represents chemical signalling between neurons, usually takes place at highly differentiated anatomical structures called synapses. To fulfill both the time and space confinements required for optimal neurotransmission, highly specialized proteins, known as transporters or uptake sites, occur and operate at the presynaptic plasma membrane. Using the energy provided by the Na+ gradient generated by the Na+/K(+)-transporting ATPase, these transporters reuptake the neurotransmitters soon after their release, thereby regulating their effective concentrations at the synaptic cleft and the availability of neurotransmitters for a time-dependent activation of both pre- and postsynaptic receptors. The key role these proteins play in normal neurotransmission is further emphasized when the physiological and social consequences of drugs that interfere with the function of these transporters, such as the psychostimulants (e.g. amphetamine and cocaine) or the widely prescribed antidepressant drugs, are considered. In this review, Bruno Giros and Marc Caron elaborate on the potential consequences of the recent molecular cloning of the dopamine and related transporters and summarize some of the interesting properties that are emerging from this growing family of Na(+)- and Cl(-)-dependent transporters.

Local and diffuse synaptic actions of GABA in the hippocampus

In the CNS, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) acts as an inhibitory transmitter via ligand-gated GABAA receptor channels and G protein-coupled GABAB receptors. Both of these receptor types mediate inhibitory postsynaptic transmission in the hippocampus. In addition to these direct postsynaptic actions, GABAB receptor agonists inhibit excitatory transmission through presynaptic receptors on excitatory afferent terminals. However, a physiological role for the GABAB receptors on excitatory nerve endings has not been established. In this study, we have found a brief, heterosynaptic depression of excitatory synaptic transmission in the CA1 region of the hippocampal slice following short-lasting repetitive stimulation and determined that this inhibition is mediated by presynaptic GABAB receptors. The inhibition of GABA uptake greatly enhanced both the presynaptic action of GABA and the slow GABAB-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic current. Transmitter uptake was also found to regulate the "spill-over" of GABA at conventional GABAA synapses. These results suggest that uptake mechanisms restrict the spatial range of both point-to-point synaptic transmission mediated by GABA and its action at a distance.