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Andersen JV, Schousboe A. Glial Glutamine Homeostasis in Health and Disease. Neurochem Res 2023; 48:1100-1128. [PMID: 36322369 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-022-03771-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Glutamine is an essential cerebral metabolite. Several critical brain processes are directly linked to glutamine, including ammonia homeostasis, energy metabolism and neurotransmitter recycling. Astrocytes synthesize and release large quantities of glutamine, which is taken up by neurons to replenish the glutamate and GABA neurotransmitter pools. Astrocyte glutamine hereby sustains the glutamate/GABA-glutamine cycle, synaptic transmission and general brain function. Cerebral glutamine homeostasis is linked to the metabolic coupling of neurons and astrocytes, and relies on multiple cellular processes, including TCA cycle function, synaptic transmission and neurotransmitter uptake. Dysregulations of processes related to glutamine homeostasis are associated with several neurological diseases and may mediate excitotoxicity and neurodegeneration. In particular, diminished astrocyte glutamine synthesis is a common neuropathological component, depriving neurons of an essential metabolic substrate and precursor for neurotransmitter synthesis, hereby leading to synaptic dysfunction. While astrocyte glutamine synthesis is quantitatively dominant in the brain, oligodendrocyte-derived glutamine may serve important functions in white matter structures. In this review, the crucial roles of glial glutamine homeostasis in the healthy and diseased brain are discussed. First, we provide an overview of cellular recycling, transport, synthesis and metabolism of glutamine in the brain. These cellular aspects are subsequently discussed in relation to pathological glutamine homeostasis of hepatic encephalopathy, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Further studies on the multifaceted roles of cerebral glutamine will not only increase our understanding of the metabolic collaboration between brain cells, but may also aid to reveal much needed therapeutic targets of several neurological pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens V Andersen
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Arne Schousboe
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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2
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Gorina YV, Salmina AB, Erofeev AI, Gerasimov EI, Bolshakova AV, Balaban PM, Bezprozvanny IB, Vlasova OL. Astrocyte Activation Markers. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2022; 87:851-870. [PMID: 36180985 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297922090012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Astrocytes are the most common type of glial cells that provide homeostasis and protection of the central nervous system. Important specific characteristic of astrocytes is manifestation of morphological heterogeneity, which is directly dependent on localization in a particular area of the brain. Astrocytes can integrate into neural networks and keep neurons active in various areas of the brain. Moreover, astrocytes express a variety of receptors, channels, and membrane transporters, which underlie their peculiar metabolic activity, and, hence, determine plasticity of the central nervous system during development and aging. Such complex structural and functional organization of astrocytes requires the use of modern methods for their identification and analysis. Considering the important fact that determining the most appropriate marker for polymorphic and multiple subgroups of astrocytes is of decisive importance for studying their multifunctionality, this review presents markers, modern imaging techniques, and identification of astrocytes, which comprise a valuable resource for studying structural and functional properties of astrocytes, as well as facilitate better understanding of the extent to which astrocytes contribute to neuronal activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yana V Gorina
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurodegeneration, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, 194091, Russia.
- Research Institute of Molecular Medicine and Pathobiochemistry, Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, 660022, Russia
| | - Alla B Salmina
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurodegeneration, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, 194091, Russia
- Research Institute of Molecular Medicine and Pathobiochemistry, Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, 660022, Russia
- Laboratory of Neurobiology and Tissue Engineering, Brain Institute, Research Center of Neurology, Moscow, 105064, Russia
| | - Alexander I Erofeev
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurodegeneration, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, 194091, Russia
| | - Evgeniy I Gerasimov
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurodegeneration, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, 194091, Russia
| | - Anastasia V Bolshakova
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurodegeneration, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, 194091, Russia
| | - Pavel M Balaban
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurodegeneration, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, 194091, Russia
- Laboratory of Cellular Neurobiology of Learning, Institute of Higher Nervous Activity, Moscow, 117485, Russia
| | - Ilya B Bezprozvanny
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurodegeneration, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, 194091, Russia
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Olga L Vlasova
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurodegeneration, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, 194091, Russia
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3
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Andersen JV, Schousboe A, Verkhratsky A. Astrocyte energy and neurotransmitter metabolism in Alzheimer's disease: integration of the glutamate/GABA-glutamine cycle. Prog Neurobiol 2022; 217:102331. [PMID: 35872221 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2022.102331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Astrocytes contribute to the complex cellular pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Neurons and astrocytes function in close collaboration through neurotransmitter recycling, collectively known as the glutamate/GABA-glutamine cycle, which is essential to sustain neurotransmission. Neurotransmitter recycling is intimately linked to astrocyte energy metabolism. In the course of AD, astrocytes undergo extensive metabolic remodeling, which may profoundly affect the glutamate/GABA-glutamine cycle. The consequences of altered astrocyte function and metabolism in relation to neurotransmitter recycling are yet to be comprehended. Metabolic alterations of astrocytes in AD deprive neurons of metabolic support, thereby contributing to synaptic dysfunction and neurodegeneration. In addition, several astrocyte-specific components of the glutamate/GABA-glutamine cycle, including glutamine synthesis and synaptic neurotransmitter uptake, are perturbed in AD. Integration of the complex astrocyte biology within the context of AD is essential for understanding the fundamental mechanisms of the disease, while restoring astrocyte metabolism may serve as an approach to arrest or even revert clinical progression of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens V Andersen
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Arne Schousboe
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Alexei Verkhratsky
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK; Achucarro Center for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, 48011 Bilbao, Spain; Department of Stem Cell Biology, State Research Institute Centre for Innovative Medicine, LT-01102 Vilnius, Lithuania.
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4
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Rodríguez-Campuzano AG, Hernández-Kelly LC, Ortega A. DNA Methylation-Dependent Gene Expression Regulation of Glutamate Transporters in Cultured Radial Glial Cells. Mol Neurobiol 2022; 59:1912-1924. [PMID: 35032319 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-022-02746-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to xenobiotics has a significant impact in brain physiology that could be liked to an excitotoxic process induced by a massive release of the main excitatory neurotransmitter, L-glutamate. Overstimulation of extra-synaptic glutamate receptors, mainly of the N-methyl-D-aspartate subtype leads to a disturbance of intracellular calcium homeostasis that is critically involved in neuronal death. Hence, glutamate extracellular levels are tightly regulated through its uptake by glial glutamate transporters. It has been observed that glutamate regulates its own removal, both in the short-time frame via a transporter-mediated decrease in the uptake, and in the long-term through the transcriptional control of its gene expression, a process mediated by glutamate receptors that involves the Ca2+/diacylglycerol-dependent protein kinase and the transcription factor Ying Yang 1. Taking into consideration that this transcription factor is a member of the Polycomb complex and thus, part of repressive and activating chromatin remodeling factors, it might direct the interaction of DNA methyltransferases or dioxygenases of methylated cytosines to their target sequences. Here we explored the role of dynamic DNA methylation in the expression and function of glial glutamate transporters. To this end, we used the well-characterized models of primary cultures of chick cerebellar Bergmann glia cells and a human retina-derived Müller glia cell line. A time and dose-dependent increase in global DNA methylation was evident upon glutamate exposure. Under hypomethylation conditions, the glial glutamate transporter protein levels and uptake activity were increased. These results favor the notion that a dynamic DNA methylation program triggered by glutamate in glial cells modulates one of its major functions: glutamate removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ada G Rodríguez-Campuzano
- Departamento de Toxicología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. IPN 2508, Zacatenco Ciudad de México, 07360, México
| | - Luisa C Hernández-Kelly
- Departamento de Toxicología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. IPN 2508, Zacatenco Ciudad de México, 07360, México
| | - Arturo Ortega
- Departamento de Toxicología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. IPN 2508, Zacatenco Ciudad de México, 07360, México.
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Specific Deletion of the Astrocyte Leptin Receptor Induces Changes in Hippocampus Glutamate Metabolism, Synaptic Transmission and Plasticity. Neuroscience 2020; 447:182-190. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Revised: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Baggio S, Zenki K, Martins Silva A, Dos Santos TG, Rech G, Lazzarotto G, Dias RD, Mussulini BH, Rico EP, de Oliveira DL. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders model alters the functionality of glutamatergic neurotransmission in adult zebrafish. Neurotoxicology 2020; 78:152-160. [PMID: 32173352 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2020.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) describe a wide range of ethanol-induced developmental disabilities, including craniofacial dysmorphology, and neurochemical and behavioral impairments. Zebrafish has become a popular animal model to evaluate the long-lasting effects of, both, severe and milder forms of FASD, including alterations to neurotransmission. Glutamate is one of the most affected neurotransmitter systems in ethanol-induced developmental disabilities. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the functionality of the glutamatergic neurotransmitter system in an adult zebrafish FASD model. Zebrafish larvae (24 h post-fertilization) were exposed to ethanol (0.1 %, 0.25 %, 0.5 %, and 1%) for 2 h. After 4 months, the animals were euthanized and their brains were removed. The following variables were measured: glutamate uptake, glutamate binding, glutamine synthetase activity, Na+/K + ATPase activity, and high-resolution respirometry. Embryonic ethanol exposure reduced Na+-dependent glutamate uptake in the zebrafish brain. This reduction was positively modulated by ceftriaxone treatment, a beta-lactam antibiotic that promotes the expression of the glutamate transporter EAAT2. Moreover, the 0.5 % and 1% ethanol groups demonstrated reduced glutamate binding to brain membranes and decreased Na+/K + ATPase activity in adulthood. In addition, ethanol reduced glutamine synthetase activity in the 1% EtOH group. Embryonic ethanol exposure did not alter the immunocontent of the glutamate vesicular transporter VGLUT2 and the mitochondrial energetic metabolism of the brain in adulthood. Our results suggest that embryonic ethanol exposure may cause significant alterations in glutamatergic neurotransmission in the adult zebrafish brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suelen Baggio
- Laboratory of Cellular Neurochemistry, Programa De Pós-graduação Em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Departamento De Bioquímica, Instituto De Ciências Básicas Da Saúde, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Kamila Zenki
- Laboratory of Cellular Neurochemistry, Programa De Pós-graduação Em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Departamento De Bioquímica, Instituto De Ciências Básicas Da Saúde, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Alberto Martins Silva
- Laboratory of Cellular Neurochemistry, Programa De Pós-graduação Em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Departamento De Bioquímica, Instituto De Ciências Básicas Da Saúde, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Thainá Garbino Dos Santos
- Laboratory of Cellular Neurochemistry, Programa De Pós-graduação Em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Departamento De Bioquímica, Instituto De Ciências Básicas Da Saúde, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Giovana Rech
- Laboratory of Cellular Neurochemistry, Programa De Pós-graduação Em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Departamento De Bioquímica, Instituto De Ciências Básicas Da Saúde, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Lazzarotto
- Laboratory of Cellular Neurochemistry, Programa De Pós-graduação Em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Departamento De Bioquímica, Instituto De Ciências Básicas Da Saúde, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Renato Dutra Dias
- Laboratory of Cellular Neurochemistry, Programa De Pós-graduação Em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Departamento De Bioquímica, Instituto De Ciências Básicas Da Saúde, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Ben Hur Mussulini
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2C, Warsaw 02-097, Poland; ReMedy International Research Agenda Unit, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2C, Warsaw 02-097, Poland
| | - Eduardo Pacheco Rico
- Programa De Pós-Graduação Em Ciências Da Saúde, Universidade Do Extremo Sul Catarinense - UNESC, Av. Universitária, 1105, Bairro Universitário, 88806-000 Criciúma, SC, Brazil
| | - Diogo Losch de Oliveira
- Laboratory of Cellular Neurochemistry, Programa De Pós-graduação Em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Departamento De Bioquímica, Instituto De Ciências Básicas Da Saúde, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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Wang S, Liao L, Huang Y, Wang M, Zhou H, Chen D, Liu F, Ji D, Xia X, Jiang B, Huang J, Xiong K. Pin1 Is Regulated by CaMKII Activation in Glutamate-Induced Retinal Neuronal Regulated Necrosis. Front Cell Neurosci 2019; 13:276. [PMID: 31293391 PMCID: PMC6603237 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In our previous study, we reported that peptidyl-prolyl isomerase 1 (Pin1)-modulated regulated necrosis (RN) occurred in cultured retinal neurons after glutamate injury. In the current study, we investigated the role of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in Pin1-modulated RN in cultured rat retinal neurons, and in an animal in vivo model. We first demonstrated that glutamate might lead to calcium overloading mainly through ionotropic glutamate receptors activation. Furthermore, CaMKII activation induced by overloaded calcium leads to Pin1 activation and subsequent RN. Inactivation of CaMKII by KN-93 (KN, i.e., a specific CaMKII inhibitor) application can decrease the glutamate-induced retinal neuronal RN. Finally, by using an animal in vivo model, we also demonstrated the important role of CaMKII in glutamate-induced RN in rat retina. In addition, flash electroretinogram results provided evidence that the impaired visual function induced by glutamate can recover after CaMKII inhibition. In conclusion, CaMKII is an up-regulator of Pin1 and responsible for the RN induced by glutamate. This study provides further understanding of the regulatory pathway of RN and is a complementary mechanism for Pin1 activation mediated necrosis. This finding will provide a potential target to protect neurons from necrosis in neurodegenerative diseases, such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and even central nervous system diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuchao Wang
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China.,Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Lvshuang Liao
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yanxia Huang
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Mi Wang
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Hongkang Zhou
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Dan Chen
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Fengxia Liu
- Department of Human Anatomy, School of Basic Medical Science, Xinjiang Medical University, Ürümqi, China
| | - Dan Ji
- Department of Ophthalmology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Xiaobo Xia
- Department of Ophthalmology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Bing Jiang
- Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Jufang Huang
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Kun Xiong
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
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Tiburcio-Félix R, Cisneros B, Hernández-Kelly LCR, Hernández-Contreras MA, Luna-Herrera J, Rea-Hernández I, Jiménez-Aguilar R, Olivares-Bañuelos TN, Ortega A. Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase in Cultured Cerebellar Bergmann Glia: Glutamate-Dependent Regulation. ACS Chem Neurosci 2019; 10:2668-2675. [PMID: 31091406 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Glutamate exerts its actions through the activation of membrane receptors expressed in neurons and glia cells. The signaling properties of glutamate transporters have been characterized recently, suggesting a complex array of signaling transactions triggered by presynaptic released glutamate. In the cerebellar molecular layer, glutamatergic synapses are surrounded by Bergmann glia cells, compulsory participants of glutamate turnover and supply to neurons. Since a glutamate-dependent increase in cGMP levels has been described in these cells and the nitric oxide-cGMP signaling cascade increases their glutamate uptake activity, we describe here the Bergmann glia expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthetase. An augmentation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase was found upon glutamate exposure. This effect is mediated by glutamate transporters and is related to an increase in the stability of the enzyme. These results strengthen the notion of a complex regulation of glial glutamate uptake that supports neuronal glutamate signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reynaldo Tiburcio-Félix
- Departamento de Genética y Biología Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Apartado Postal 14-740, Ciudad de México 07360, Mexico
| | - Bulmaro Cisneros
- Departamento de Genética y Biología Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Apartado Postal 14-740, Ciudad de México 07360, Mexico
| | - Luisa C. R. Hernández-Kelly
- Departamento de Toxicología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Apartado Postal 14-740, Ciudad de México 07360, Mexico
| | - María A. Hernández-Contreras
- Departamento de Inmunología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México 11340, México
| | - Julieta Luna-Herrera
- Departamento de Inmunología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México 11340, México
| | - Ismael Rea-Hernández
- Departamento de Genética y Biología Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Apartado Postal 14-740, Ciudad de México 07360, Mexico
| | - Rosalinda Jiménez-Aguilar
- Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos, Hospital General La Raza Gaudencio González Garza, Unidad de Alta Especialidad Médica (UMAE), Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad de México 02990, México
| | - Tatiana N. Olivares-Bañuelos
- Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada, Baja California 22860, México
| | - Arturo Ortega
- Departamento de Toxicología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Apartado Postal 14-740, Ciudad de México 07360, Mexico
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Olivares-Bañuelos TN, Chí-Castañeda D, Ortega A. Glutamate transporters: Gene expression regulation and signaling properties. Neuropharmacology 2019; 161:107550. [PMID: 30822498 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.02.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Revised: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate central nervous system. During synaptic activity, glutamate is released and binds to specific membrane receptors and transporters activating, in the one hand, a wide variety of signal transduction cascades, while in the other hand, its removal from the synaptic cleft. Extracellular glutamate concentrations are maintained within physiological levels mainly by glia glutamate transporters. Inefficient clearance of this amino acid is neurotoxic due to a prolonged hyperactivation of its postsynaptic receptors, exacerbating a wide array of intracellular events linked to an ionic imbalance, that results in neuronal cell death. This process is known as excitotoxicity and is the underlying mechanisms of an important number of neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, it is important to understand the regulation of glutamate transporters function. The transporter activity can be regulated at different levels: gene expression, transporter protein targeting and trafficking, and post-translational modifications of the transporter protein. The identification of these mechanisms has paved the way to our current understanding the role of glutamate transporters in brain physiology and will certainly provide the needed biochemical information for the development of therapeutic strategies towards the establishment of novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment and/or prevention of pathologies associated with excitotoxicity insults. This article is part of the issue entitled 'Special Issue on Neurotransmitter Transporters'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana N Olivares-Bañuelos
- Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Carretera Tijuana-Ensenada No. 3917, Fraccionamiento Playitas, 22860, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
| | - Donají Chí-Castañeda
- Departamento de Toxicología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Apartado Postal 14-740, Ciudad de México, 07000, Mexico
| | - Arturo Ortega
- Departamento de Toxicología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Apartado Postal 14-740, Ciudad de México, 07000, Mexico.
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