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S G Amara

Publications and source records attributed to S G Amara.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Localization and function of five glutamate transporters cloned from the salamander retina.

Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate retina. Native glutamate transporters have been well characterized in several retinal neurons, particularly from the salamander retina. We have cloned five distinct glutamate transporters from the salamander retina and examined their localization and functional properties: sEAAT1, sEEAAT2A, sEAAT2B, sEAAT5A and sEAAT5B. sEAAT1 is a homologue of the glutamate transporter EAAT1 (GLAST), sEAAT2A and sEAAT2B are homologues of EAAT2 (GLT-1) and sEAAT5A and sEAAT5B are homologues of the recently cloned human retinal glutamate transporter EAAT5. Localization was determined by immunocytochemical techniques using antibodies directed at portions of the highly divergent carboxy terminal. Glutamate transporters were found in glial, photoreceptor, bipolar, amacrine and ganglion cells. The pharmacology and ionic dependence were determined by two-electrode voltage clamp recordings from Xenopus laevis oocytes which had previously been injected with one of the glutamate transporter mRNAs. Each of the transporters behaved in a manner consistent with a glutamate transporter and there were some distinguishing characteristics which make it possible to link the function in native cells with the behavior of the cloned transporters in this study.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗
PubMed1998

A reentrant loop domain in the glutamate carrier EAAT1 participates in substrate binding and translocation.

To investigate the structural determinants underlying transport by the glutamate transporter EAAT1, we mutated each of 24 highly conserved residues (P392 to Q415) to cysteine. A majority of these substituted cysteines react with the sulfhydryl-modifying reagent MTSEA, suggesting that they reside in an aqueous environment. The impermeant reagents MTSES and MTSET react with residues at each end of the domain (A395C and A414C), supporting a model that places these residues near the extracellular surface. Substrates and inhibitors block the reaction between MTS derivatives and A395C, and the cosubstrate, sodium, slows reaction of MTSEA with Y405C and E406C. From these results, we propose that this domain forms a reentrant membrane loop at the cell surface and may comprise part of the translocation pore for substrates and cotransported ions.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗
PubMed1998

Arachidonic acid elicits a substrate-gated proton current associated with the glutamate transporter EAAT4.

Arachidonic acid modulates both electrical and biochemical properties of membrane proteins involved in cellular signaling. In Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing the excitatory amino acid transporter EAAT4, physiologically relevant concentrations of arachidonic acid increase the amplitude of the substrate-activated current by roughly twofold at -60 mV. This stimulation is not attributable to the modulation of either substrate/ion cotransport or the ligand-gated chloride current, the major conductance associated with this carrier. Ion-substitution experiments reveal that arachidonic acid stimulates a proton-selective conductance. The effect does not require metabolism of arachidonic acid and is not blocked by inhibitors of endogenous oocyte ion-exchangers. This proton conductance expands the complex repertoire of the ligand-gated channel properties associated with EAAT4.

Amino Acid Transport System X-AG↗
PubMed1998

Identification and characterization of a cDNA encoding a neuronal glutamate transporter from Drosophila melanogaster.

Sodium-dependent glutamate transporters influence neurotransmission in the central nervous system by removing synaptically released glutamate from the extracellular space and by maintaining extracellular glutamate concentrations below neurotoxic levels. In insects, glutamate also serves as the neurotransmitter at the neuromuscular junction, but the mechanism for neurotransmitter clearance at this synapse has not well-established. Here we report that cloning and characterization of a sodium-dependent glutamate transporter, dEAAT, from Drosophila melanogaster. The 479 amino acid dEAAT gene product is 40-50% homologous to mammalian members of this carrier family. A 3.3 kilobase (kb) transcript for dEAAT was detected in adult fly heads and to a lesser extent in bodies by Northern-blot analysis and was also localized to neurons in the central nervous system by in situ hybridization. The transport activity observed following express of dEAAT in Xenopus oocytes or COS-7 cells shows a high affinity for L-glutamate, L-aspartate and D-aspartate, an absolute dependence on external sodium ions, and considerable stereoselectivity for the transport of L-glutamate over D-glutamate. As has been observed for the human carriers, EAAT 4 and EAAT 5, a significant component of the current activated by L-glutamate application to dEAAT-expressing oocytes appears to arise from the activation of a chloride channel associated with the carrier.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗
PubMed1997

Excitatory amino acid transporter 5, a retinal glutamate transporter coupled to a chloride conductance.

Although a glutamate-gated chloride conductance with the properties of a sodium-dependent glutamate transporter has been described in vertebrate retinal photoreceptors and bipolar cells, the molecular species underlying this conductance has not yet been identified. We now report the cloning and functional characterization of a human excitatory amino acid transporter, EAAT5, expressed primarily in retina. Although EAAT5 shares the structural homologies of the EAAT gene family, one novel feature of the EAAT5 sequence is a carboxy-terminal motif identified previously in N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors and potassium channels and shown to confer interactions with a family of synaptic proteins that promote ion channel clustering. Functional properties of EAAT5 were examined in the Xenopus oocyte expression system by measuring radiolabeled glutamate flux and two-electrode voltage clamp recording. EAAT5-mediated L-glutamate uptake is sodium- and voltage-dependent and chloride-independent. Transporter currents elicited by glutamate are also sodium- and voltage-dependent, but ion substitution experiments suggest that this current is largely carried by chloride ions. These properties of EAAT5 are similar to the glutamate-elicited chloride conductances previously described in retinal neurons, suggesting that the EAAT5-associated chloride conductance may participate in visual processing.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Multiple ionic conductances of the human dopamine transporter: the actions of dopamine and psychostimulants.

Electrophysiological and pharmacological studies of a cloned human dopamine transporter (hDAT) were undertaken to investigate the mechanisms of transporter function and the actions of drugs at this target. Using two-electrode voltage-clamp techniques with hDAT-expressing Xenopus laevis oocytes, we show that hDAT can be considered electrogenic by two criteria. (1) Uptake of hDAT substrates gives rise to a pharmacologically appropriate "transport-associated" current. (2) The velocity of DA uptake measured in oocytes clamped at various membrane potentials was voltage-dependent, increasing with hyperpolarization. Concurrent measurement of transport-associated current and substrate flux in individual oocytes revealed that charge movement during substrate translocation was greater than would be expected for a transport mechanism with fixed stoichiometry of 2 Na+ and 1 Cl- per DA+ molecule. In addition to the transport-associated current, hDAT also mediates a constitutive leak current, the voltage and ionic dependencies of which differ markedly from those of the transport-associated current. Ion substitution experiments suggest that alkali cations and protons are carried by the hDAT leak conductance. In contrast to the transport-associated functions, the leak does not require Na+ or Cl-, and DAT ligands readily interact with the transporter even in the absence of these ions. The currents that hDAT mediates provide a functional assay that readily distinguishes the modes of action of amphetamine-like "DA-releasing" drugs from cocaine-like translocation blockers. In addition, the voltage dependence of DA uptake suggests a mechanism through which presynaptic DA autoreceptor activation may accelerate the termination of dopaminergic neurotransmission in vivo.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Activation of protein kinase C inhibits uptake, currents and binding associated with the human dopamine transporter expressed in Xenopus oocytes.

Activation of protein kinase C (PKC) regulates the activity of a number of neurotransmitter transporters. When Xenopus oocytes expressing the cloned human dopamine transporter (hDAT) were pretreated with bath-applied phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), a PKC activator, [3H]DA uptake decreased irreversibly in a time- and dose-dependent manner (IC50 = 22 nM; maximal inhibition = 63-85%). The inhibition appeared to be PKC-specific because incubation with the inactive form of phorbol ester 4alpha-phorbol-12,13-didecanoate (400 nM) did not change the uptake activity and PMA (100 nM) inhibition could be partially blocked by the selective PKC inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide I (1 microM). Saturation studies of [3H]DA uptake showed that PMA-induced inhibition was due to a decrease in V(max) with no change in K(T). Similar to uptake, PMA pretreatment inhibited both the hDAT transport-associated and substrate-independent leak currents. PMA also decreased membrane capacitance (C(m)) by 40%, selectively in hDAT-expressing oocytes. In addition, PMA pretreatment resulted in a 77% decrease in B(max) of [3H]mazindol binding to intact oocytes. In contrast, binding to whole homogenates of PMA-pretreated oocytes was not significantly altered. These results suggest that PMA regulates hDAT expressed in Xenopus oocytes by altering cell surface trafficking of hDAT.

Alanine↗
PubMed1996

Channels in transporters.

Recent electrophysiological investigations of plasma membrane neurotransmitter transporters have shown that carriers can function in ways similar to ion channels. The results of these studies reveal underlying mechanisms not encompassed by classic carrier models and support an emerging view that transporter-mediated ionic currents may contribute to signaling in the nervous system.

Amino Acid Transport Systems↗
PubMed1996

N-linked oligosaccharides are required for cell surface expression of the norepinephrine transporter but do not influence substrate or inhibitor recognition.

The contribution of N-linked carbohydrates to the function of the human norepinephrine transporter (NET) was investigated using site-directed mutagenesis to inactivate the two most carboxy-terminal (NQQ mutant) or all three (QQQ mutant) sites for N-glycosylation within the extracellular loop between transmembrane domains 3 and 4. In HeLa cells transiently expressing the NET, two glycosylated forms of the transporter at 90 and 60 kDa are immunoprecipitated by NET antisera. A single 50-kDa species is observed in cells expressing the QQQ mutant, and it likely represents the NET core protein. Analyses of substrate transport kinetics showed rank order Vmax of 19:9:1 for NET/NQQ/QQQ without a change in the apparent affinity of the wild-type and mutated carriers for either substrates or transport inhibitors. Cell surface biotinylation indicates that all NET, NQQ, and QQQ transporter species are detected at the plasma membrane but that glycosylated forms are selectively enriched. The transport activities exhibited by each of the carriers correlate well with cell surface content. Subcellular localization of transporters using immunofluorescence microscopy shows that reductions in surface expression and transport are associated with a corresponding increase in the intracellular retention of mutated carriers. Thus, N-linked glycosylation does not alter the apparent affinity of NET for either substrates or inhibitors of transport but, instead, appears to influence the abundance of carriers at the cell surface.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Discrete structural domains and cell-specific expression determine functional selectivity of the dopamine and norepinephrine transporters.

The successful generation and functional expression of a series of recombinant chimeric transporters, in which distinct functional properties of NET and DAT are exchanged, have allowed the assignment of a number of important functional properties of MPP+ and antidepressant-sensitive catecholamine transporters to specific domains within their primary structure. These studies are the first comprehensive structure-function analysis of members of the rapidly growing superfamily of Na+/Cl- carriers using chimeric transporters. This represents the first step in identifying the specific structural or regulatory determinants that differentiate NET and DAT. An appreciation of the potentially distinct sites for substrate recognition, translocation, and transport inhibition of NET and DAT may facilitate the development of more selective drugs for the treatment of stimulant addiction, human depression, and other affective disorders.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Neurotransmitter transporters: new insights into structure, function and pharmacology.

Neurotransmitter transporters on neurons and glial cells catalyze the uptake of neurotransmitter, and may serve to limit the activation of receptors during synaptic signaling. Over the past few years significant progress has been made toward a molecular understanding of neurotransmitter transporters in the CNS. The plasma membrane neurotransmitter carriers are comprised of two structurally- and mechanistically-distinct gene families, the Na+ and Cl(-)-dependent transporters that include the carriers for most of the classical CNS neurotransmitters and several additional carriers for amino acids and other substrates outside the nervous system. A second structurally distinct family of Na(+)-dependent carriers encompasses the excitatory amino acid transporters. For both carrier families the transport of substrate is coupled to the cotransport of sodium ions down a concentration gradient. Electrophysiological studies of neurotransmitter transporters indicate that many of the carriers are electrogenic and may operate in some ways similar to ion channels. In addition, emerging data indicate that these carriers not only function in the uptake of neurotransmitter, but also that as a consequence of their ability to alter the membrane potential they may have a broader role in regulating neuronal excitability and signaling mechanisms.

Antidepressive Agents↗
PubMed1995

Constitutive ion fluxes and substrate binding domains of human glutamate transporters.

Application of L-glutamate activates ionic currents in voltage-clamped Xenopus oocytes expressing cloned human excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs). However, even in the absence of L-glutamate, the membrane conductance of oocytes expressing EAAT1 was significantly increased relative to oocytes expressing EAAT2 or control oocytes. Whereas transport mediated by EAAT2 is blocked by the non-transported competitive glutamate analog kainate (Ki = 14 microM), EAAT1 is relatively insensitive (Ki > 3 mM). Substitution of a block of 76 residues from EAAT2 into EAAT1, in which 18 residues varied from EAAT1, conferred high affinity kainate binding to EAAT1, and application of kainate to oocytes expressing the chimeric transporter blocked a pre-existing monovalent cation conductance that displayed a permeability sequence K+ > Na+ > Li+ >> choline+. The results identify a structural domain of glutamate transporters that influences kainate binding and demonstrate the presence of a constitutive ion-selective pore in the transporter.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗
PubMed1995

An excitatory amino-acid transporter with properties of a ligand-gated chloride channel.

Excitatory amino-acid transporters (EAATs) in the central nervous system maintain extracellular glutamate concentrations below excitotoxic levels and may limit the activation of glutamate receptors. Here we report the cloning of a novel human aspartate/glutamate transporter, EAAT4, which is expressed predominantly in the cerebellum. The transport activity encoded by EAAT4 has high apparent affinity for L-aspartate and L-glutamate, and has a pharmacological profile consistent with previously described cerebellar transport activities. In Xenopus oocytes expressing EAAT4, L-aspartate and L-glutamate elicited a current predominantly carried by chloride ions. This chloride conductance was not blocked by components that block endogenous oocyte chloride channels. Thus EAAT4 combines the re-uptake of neurotransmitter with a mechanism for increasing chloride permeability, both of which could regulate excitatory neurotransmission.

Amino Acid Sequence↗