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Vesicular storage and secretion of L-glutamate from glucagon-like peptide 1-secreting clonal intestinal L cells.

Vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT) is responsible for the vesicular storage of l-glutamate, and plays an essential role in glutamate-mediated intercellular signal transmission in the CNS and in some neuroendocrine cells. Intestinal L cells are the glucose-responsive neuroendocrine cells responsible for the secretion of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). We have shown that intestinal L cells express VGLUT2, a VGLUT isoform, which suggests that L cells secrete L-glutamate. In the present study, we investigated this possibility using GLUTag mouse clonal L cells. RT-PCR and northern blot analyses revealed expression of the VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 genes, but not of the VGLUT3 gene. Western blot analysis revealed immunological counterparts for VGLUT2, whereas an immunological counterpart of VGLUT1 was not detected. Indirect immunofluorescence microscopy revealed a punctate distribution of VGLUT2 immunoreactivity throughout the cells, which co-localized with GLP-1. Double-labeling immunoelectronmicroscopy confirmed the association of VGLUT2 with GLP-1-containing secretory granules. The membrane fraction exhibited ATP-dependent L-glutamate uptake, which was sensitive to bafilomycin A1 (a vacuolar proton ATPase inhibitor) and Evans blue (a VGLUT inhibitor) but insensitive to D,L-aspartate. Upon depolarization with KCl, GLUTag cells secreted appreciable amounts of L-glutamate and GLP-1. D-Glucose and methyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoside, stimulators of exocytosis of GLP-1, also triggered the secretion of L-glutamate. The L-glutamate secretion was partially dependent on Ca2+ and sensitive to bafilomycin A1. These results demonstrated that GLUTag cells stored L-glutamate in secretory granules and secreted it with GLP-1 by exocytosis. As GLUTag cells and intestinal L cells express kainate receptors and plasma membrane glutamate transporters, these results support the concept of L-glutamate-mediated intercellular signaling in the vicinity of intestinal L cells.

Animals↗

Counter-transport of potassium by the glutamate uptake carrier in glial cells isolated from the tiger salamander retina.

1. To investigate the transport of potassium on the glutamate uptake carrier, the glutamate uptake current in isolated retinal Müller cells was monitored by whole-cell clamping, while measuring changes of potassium concentration outside the cells ([K+]o) with an ion-sensitive microelectrode. 2. Activating glutamate uptake led to an accumulation of potassium outside the cells, consistent with the hypothesis, based on less direct evidence, that the glutamate uptake carrier transports potassium out of the cell. 3. The glutamate-evoked rise of [K+]o showed the pharmacology and sodium dependence of glutamate uptake. 4. The rise in [K+]o was proportional to the uptake current flowing between 0 and -80 mV, implying that the ratio of K+ transported to charge transported by the uptake carrier is constant over this voltage range. The K+ to charge transport ratio was the same for uptake of D-aspartate and L-glutamate. 5. By clamping cells with pipettes containing solutions of different [K+], the dependence of the glutamate and aspartate uptake currents on intracellular [K+] was determined. L- and D-aspartate transport showed a smaller maximum uptake current (Imax), and a smaller apparent Michaelis constant (Km) for activation by intracellular K+, than did L-glutamate transport. The ratio of Imax to Km was the same for these three analogues, a result which can be predicted from simple models of the carrier's operation. 6. Fully activating glutamate uptake in Müller cells in the intact retina would produce a K+ load into the extracellular space of about 0.6 mM s-1. Suppression of glutamate release from photoreceptors by light will reduce K+ efflux from Müller cells in the outer retina; this may contribute to the light-evoked fall of [K+]o observed in the outer retina, and thus contribute to shaping the electroretinogram.

Amino Acid Transport System X-AG↗

Mechanism of L-glutamate transport in membrane vesicles from Bacillus stearothermophilus.

In the presence of electrochemical energy, several branched-chain neutral and acidic amino acids were found to accumulate in membrane vesicles of Bacillus stearothermophilus. The membrane vesicles contained a stereo-specific transport system for the acidic amino acids L-glutamate and L-aspartate, which could not translocate their respective amines, L-glutamine and L-asparagine. The transport system was thermostable (Ti = 70 degrees C) and showed highest activities at elevated temperatures (60 to 65 degrees C). The membrane potential or pH gradient could act as the driving force for L-glutamate uptake, which indicated that the transport process of L-glutamate is electrogenic and that protons are involved in the translocation process. The electrogenic character implies that the anionic L-glutamate is cotransported with at least two monovalent cations. To determine the mechanistic stoichiometry of L-glutamate transport and the nature of the cotranslocated cations, the relationship between the components of the proton motive force and the chemical gradient of L-glutamate was investigated at different external pH values in the absence and presence of ionophores. In the presence of either a membrane potential or a pH gradient, the chemical gradient of L-glutamate was equivalent to that specific gradient at different pH values. These results cannot be explained by cotransport of L-glutamate with two protons, assuming thermodynamic equilibrium between the driving force for uptake and the chemical gradient of the substrate. To determine the character of the cotranslocated cations, L-glutamate uptake was monitored with artificial gradients. It was established that either the membrane potential, pH gradient, or chemical gradient of sodium ions could act as the driving force for L-glutamate uptake, which indicated that L-glutamate most likely is cotranslocated in symport with one proton and on sodium ion.

Biological Transport↗

An iontophoretic study of single somatosensory neurons in rat granular cortex serving the limbs: a laminar analysis of glutamate and acetylcholine effects on receptive-field properties.

1. Glutamate, acetylcholine (ACh), and bicuculline were delivered by iontophoretic pipettes to the 545 neurons described in the preceding paper. Their response properties were examined to determine the effect of these compounds on the behavior of neurons in rat somatosensory cortex. 2. The responses to glutamate covered a broad range. Some cells were completely depolarized by small amounts of this excitatory amino acid, whereas others were extremely insensitive requiring in excess of 100 nA to be excited. This range of sensitivities was seen throughout all cortical layers. 3. Glutamate was most effective in uncovering new receptive fields or in enhancing preexisting somatic responses in the bottom of layer II/III and in layer IV. Receptive fields uncovered by glutamate had properties comparable to receptive fields observed without drugs. Overall, glutamate enhanced the ability of afferent inputs to drive 39% of the neurons tested. 4. In 61% of the cells tested with glutamate there was no evidence of somatic input even during excitation with glutamate. Of 50 cells displaying receptive fields, only two were enlarged by treatment with glutamate. For 36 other cells receptive fields of normal dimensions were uncovered during glutamate administration. 5. Bicuculline uncovered more somatic inputs than either glutamate or ACh, leaving only 37% of 86 cells tested without evidence of excitatory inputs from the skin. Bicuculline produced an average receptive-field enlargement of 8.7 times in 11 of 56 cells tested. This drug acted uniformly throughout the cortical layers. 6. ACh excited 36.9% of the 360 cells tested. Those excited tended to be located in laminae Vb and VIb. The effects of ACh on afferent response properties could not be predicted from its ability to excite a cell. The magnitude of the response to 100 nA of ACh varied with the laminar position of the cell being tested, being weakest in layer II/III and greatest in layer Vb. 7. Overall, 34.2% of 263 cells showed changes in afferent drive during ACh treatment. ACh enhanced the responses to somatic stimulation most frequently in laminae IV and V. 8. Of the 90 neurons tested for long-term effects, 27% displayed effects of ACh that significantly outlasted the duration of the ACh administration. In 18% of these, changes lasted for greater than 5 min, sometimes remaining altered for the duration of the time that the cell was studied. These long-term changes in excitability were generally produced by administration of ACh during the time that the cell was excited by glutamate or by somatic stimulation.

Acetylcholine↗

Glutamate as a putative neurotransmitter in the buccal central pattern generator of Helisoma trivolvis.

1. The effects of L-glutamate superfusion over identified neurons within the buccal ganglia of Helisoma trivolvis were examined. Glutamate mirrored the effect of activity of subunit 2 (S2) of the tripartite feeding central pattern generator (CPG) on S2 postsynaptic neurons. Neurons that are excited by S2 are depolarized by glutamate, whereas neurons that are inhibited by S2 are hyperpolarized by glutamate. Glutamate also stimulated rhythmic S2 activity. 2. Different glutamate agonists could mimic specific components of the effects of glutamate on buccal neurons. Kainate produced depolarizations in neurons that receive S2 excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) and activated rhythmic S2 activity. Quisqualate produced hyperpolarizations in neurons that receive S2 inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs). 3. The non-N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptor antagonist cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) blocked the effects of S2 EPSPs and depolarizations produced by application of glutamate and kainate, but was ineffective in blocking S2 IPSPs or hyperpolarizations produced by application of glutamate and quisqualate. 4. These data support the hypothesis that glutamate is the transmitter of S2 of the feeding CPG in Helisoma, acting at CNQX-sensitive kainate-like receptors at excitatory synapses and CNQX-insensitive quisqualate-like receptors at inhibitory synapses.

6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione↗

Co-localization of epithelial sodium channels and glutamate receptors in single taste cells.

Umami taste is elicited by monosodium glutamate (MSG), a compound consisting of two potent taste stimuli, Na(+) and glutamate. In rat fungiform taste cells, amiloride-sensitive epithelial sodium channels (ENaCs) mediate Na(+) transduction, while glutamate is transduced by a combination of ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors. We used giga-seal whole-cell recording to determine if responses to glutamate and Na(+) occur in the same taste cells. Approximately 68% of the cells tested responded to amiloride, indicating that they express functional ENaCs. Responses to glutamate occurred in about 58% of the cells tested. Interestingly, responses to glutamate occurred in the subset of cells that also responded to amiloride, indicating that glutamate receptors are located preferentially in the same taste cells that also express ENaCs. Further experiments showed that amiloride did not suppress responses to glutamate under voltage-clamp conditions. Taken together, the data suggest that although ENaCs are not involved directly in glutamate transduction, their co-localization with glutamate receptors provides a substrate for the cellular integration of these independent pathways.

Amiloride↗

Effect of glutamate receptor agonists on catecholamine secretion in bovine chromaffin cells.

In this study, the effects of glutamate and glutamate receptor agonists in cultured chromaffin cells from bovine adrenal medulla were investigated. It was found that glutamate increases basal catecholamine (CA) secretion in a dose-dependent manner. This effect is mimicked by specific agonists of the four known glutamate receptors N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), quisqualate/(RS)-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA), kainate (KA), and trans-(+)-1-amino-1,3-cyclopentane dicarboxylic acid (t-ACPD), which increased both basal and nicotine-evoked CA secretion. The NMDA receptor antagonist 2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid, 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione, an antagonist of KA and AMPA receptors, and L-(+)-2-amino-3-phosphonopropionic acid, an antagonist of the t-ACPD receptor, inhibited the stimulatory effect of related glutamate agonists. Hexamethonium, an antagonist of the nicotinic receptor, failed to influence glutamate agonists except for a 15% inhibition of KA. The increase in CA secretion produced by a 100 microM concentration of glutamate agonists was about 20-60% of that obtained with 10 microM of nicotine, an agonist of the physiological stimulatory cholinergic receptor. The increase in CA secretion produced by glutamate was accompanied by both an increase in bisoxonol fluorescence, suggesting membrane depolarization, and by an increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentrations. Results obtained with image analysis on single cells indicated that the percentage of cells which respond to the stimulation of 50 microM of glutamate is 42%. From these results, we conclude that glutamate, through its four known glutamate receptors, can increase both basal and nicotine-evoked CA secretion in chromaffin cells by a process which involves membrane depolarization and an increase in intracellular calcium levels.

Adrenal Medulla↗

Electrophysiological characterization of non-NMDA glutamate receptors on cultured intermediate lobe cells of the rat pituitary.

Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, yet little is known about its actions on endocrine cells. We have investigated the membrane effects of glutamate in cultured neonatal rat pituitary intermediate lobe (IL) cells using the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique. In a standard Na(+)-based extracellular solution, glutamate failed to induce a detectable membrane current at a holding potential (HP) of -60 mV (n = 40). However, when cyclothiazide (50 microM), a benzothiazide that blocks desensitization of alpha-amino-2,3-dihydro-5-methyl-3-oxo-4-isoxazole-propanoic acid (AMPA)-type receptors, was added to the extracellular solution, glutamate (0.5-1 mM) induced an inward current at a HP of -60 mV in 65% of the cells tested (n = 72). This response was usually small in amplitude (mean amplitude: 28.6 +/- 37.5 pA, n = 47). The glutamate-induced current reversed polarity close to 0 mV and was reversibly blocked when extracellular Na+ was replaced by the impermeant cation N-methyl-D-glucamine, suggesting that this current was a nonselective cation current. The response to glutamate (1 mM) was reproduced by AMPA (50 microM), kainate (200 microM), and quisqualate (200 microM). N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA, 100 microM) in the presence of 10 microM glycine did not induce any membrane current in cells responding to glutamate (n = 8). The non-NMDA receptor antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (10 microM) reversibly inhibited the response to glutamate (0.5 mM) by 85 +/- 14% (n = 7), whereas D(-)-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (20 microM), an antagonist of NMDA receptors, had no effect on the glutamate-induced current (n = 3). Moreover, we show that although the amplitude of the glutamate currents was small, the latter induced large (30-mV) membrane depolarizations and triggered the firing of action potentials. Taken together, our results indicate that neonatal rat IL cells possess AMPA-type glutamate receptors that could possibly underlie a fast excitatory glutamatergic synaptic input to these cells.

2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate↗

The in vitro uptake of glutamate in GLAST and GLT-1 transfected mutant CHO-K1 cells is inhibited by manganese.

In the central nervous system (CNS), extracellular concentrations of amino acids (e.g., aspartate, glutamate) and divalent metals (e.g., zinc, copper, manganese) are primarily regulated by astrocytes. Adequate glutamate homeostasis and control over extracellular concentrations of these excitotoxic amino acids are essential for the normal functioning of the brain. Not only is glutamate of central importance for nitrogen metabolism but, along with aspartate, it is the primary mediator of excitatory pathways in the brain. Similarly, the maintenance of proper Mn levels is important for normal brain function. Brain glutamate is removed from the extracellular fluid mainly by astrocytes via high affinity astroglial Na+-dependent excitatory amino acid transporters, glutamate/aspartate transporter (GLAST) and glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1). The effects of Mn on specific glutamate transporters have yet to be determined. As a first step in this process, we examined the effects of Mn on the transport of [D-2, 3-3H]D-aspartate, a non-metabolizable glutamate analog, in Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO) transfected with two glutamate transporter subtypes, GLAST (EAAT1) or GLT-1 (EAAT2). Mn-mediated inhibition of glutamate transport in the CHO-K1 cell line DdB7 was pronounced in both the GLT-1 and GLAST transfected cells. This resulted in a statistically significant inhibition (p<0.05) of glutamate uptake compared with transfected control in the absence of Mn treatment. These studies suggest that Mn accumulation in the CNS might contribute to dysregulation of glutamate homeostasis.

Amino Acids↗

Is L-glutamic acid nutritionally a dispensable amino acid for the young chick?

The importance of dispensable amino acids for the chick was reinvestigated. Two-week chick weights were 75.7 g. and 143.7 g. when dietary nitrogen was provided solely by indispensable amino acids and by indispensable amino acids and 10% L-glutamic acid, respectively. Weight gain increased four-fold when L-glutamic acid was added to the mixture of indispensable amino acids. Plasma free amino acid concentrations were considerably decreased and total indispensable amino acid concentration (including cystine and tyrosine) was reduced to approximately a half or less with L-glutamic acid supplementation. Increments of L-glutamic acid as the sole nitrogen source for dispensable amino acids in the diet increased two-week weight gain proportionately over a range from 0 to 10%. When 10% of L-glutamic acid was included in the amino acid diet, growth rate was equivalent to that with a practical diet up to two weeks of age. The mixture of leucine, isoleucine, valine, lysine and arginine produced little growth promotion as a nitrogen source for dispensable amino acids. L-aspartic acid, L-alanine and the mixture of dispensable amino acids devoid of L-glutamic acid were found not as effective as L-glutamic acid. The estimate of effectiveness of L-aspartic acid, L-alanine and the mixture was approximately 80%, 60%, and 80%, respectively, of that of L-glutamic acid during first two weeks. Utilization of diammonium citrate for growth promotion varied with the amount used and the age of chicks. A combination of dispensable amino acids plus nominal levels of DAC was not as effective as glutamic acid during the first week but shortly after that, produced good gains. Even during the 3rd week or 4th week high levels of DAC alone did not produce normal gains of chicks. The activities and the subcellular distribution of glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) in the liver of young chicks were measured. GOT activity was considerably higher than GPT activity. Initially, GOT activity was found primarily in cytosol, but the mitochondrial activity increased to 57% of total activity by day 10, whereas GPT activity was exclusively in mitochondria regardless of the age.

Alanine↗

Imaging extracellular waves of glutamate during calcium signaling in cultured astrocytes.

A growing body of evidence proposes that glial cells have the potential to play a role as modulators of neuronal activity and synaptic transmission by releasing the neurotransmitter glutamate (Arague et al., 1999). We explore the spatial nature of glutamate release from astrocytes with an enzyme-linked assay system and CCD imaging technology. In the presence of glutamate, L-glutamic dehydrogenase (GDH) reduces NAD(+) to NADH, a product that fluoresces when excited with UV light. Theoretically, provided that GDH and NAD(+) are present in the bathing saline, the release of glutamate from stimulated astrocytes can be optically detected by monitoring the accumulation of NADH. Indeed, stimuli that induce a wave of elevated calcium among astrocytes produced a corresponding spread of extracellular NADH fluorescence. Treatment of cultures either with thapsigargin, to deplete internal calcium stores, or with the membrane-permeant calcium chelator BAPTA AM significantly decreased the accumulation of NADH, demonstrating that this fluorometric assay effectively monitors calcium-dependent glutamate release. With a temporal resolution of 500 msec and spatial resolution of approximately 20 micrometer, discrete regions of glutamate release were not reliably resolved. The wave of glutamate release that underlies the NADH fluorescence propagated at an average speed of approximately 26 micrometer/sec, correlating with the rate of calcium wave progression (10-30 micrometer/sec), and caused a localized accumulation of glutamate in the range of 1-100 microM. Further analysis of the fluorescence accumulation clearly demonstrated that glutamate is released in a regenerative manner, with subsequent cells that are involved in the calcium wave releasing additional glutamate.

Animals↗

Concurrent downregulation of a glutamate transporter and receptor in glaucoma.

PURPOSE: Elevated levels of extracellular glutamate have been implicated in the pathophysiology of neuronal loss in both central nervous system and ophthalmic disorders, including glaucoma. This increase in glutamate may result from a failure of glutamate transporters, which are molecules that ordinarily regulate extracellular glutamate. Elevated glutamate levels can also lead to a perturbation in glutamate receptors. The hypothesis for the current study was that glutamate transporters and/or receptors are altered in human glaucoma. METHODS: Immunohistochemical analyses of human eyes with glaucoma and control eyes were performed to evaluate glutamate receptors and transporters. These molecules were also assayed in rat eyes injected with glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). RESULTS: Glaucomatous eyes had decreased levels of both the glutamate transporter, excitatory amino acid transporter (EAAT)-1, and the glutamate receptor subunit N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-R1. Eyes treated with GDNF had elevated levels of both EAAT1 and NMDAR1. CONCLUSIONS: The loss of EAAT1 in glaucoma may account for the elevated level of glutamate found in glaucomatous vitreous and lead to a compensatory downregulation of NMDAR1. Inasmuch as GDNF can increase levels of both EAAT1 and NMDAR1, it may be a useful therapeutic approach to restore homeostatic levels of these in glaucoma.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

Independence of and interactions between GABA-, glutamate-, and acetylcholine-activated Cl conductances in Aplysia neurons.

In certain Aplysia neurons, glutamate, GABA, and acetylcholine (ACh) all elicit desensitizing Cl-dependent responses. This fact and the finding that the glutamate and GABA responses "cross-desensitize" led to the suggestion (Swann and Carpenter, 1975; King and Carpenter, 1987) that the responses to these transmitters were mediated by the same receptor-channel complex. This hypothesis is incompatible with the demonstration given here that the GABA- and glutamate-gated channels are clearly distinct; the GABA channel, but not the glutamate channel, shows outward rectification (Matsumoto, 1982; King and Carpenter, 1987, 1989) and is selectively blocked by intracellular sulfate. Exploiting these distinctive characteristics and the independent expression of the receptors in some cells, we have been able to reevaluate the so-called cross-desensitization by analyzing the ability of GABA, glutamate, and other agonists to interact with each of the receptor molecules. The cross-desensitization was found to be exclusively attributable to the ability of GABA to interact with the glutamate receptor (Oyama et al., 1990). The GABA receptor is unaffected by glutamate. Nevertheless, in cells expressing both receptors, glutamate can reduce the GABA response by auto-desensitizing the part of the response that is mediated by the glutamate receptor. No interactions were observed between ACh-induced responses and either of the responses elicited by the amino acids. The invertebrate glutamate-gated Cl channels that have been cloned resemble the vertebrate glycine receptor (Vassilatis et al., 1997). Our pharmacological evaluation of the molluscan glutamate receptor points in the same direction.

Acetylcholine↗

Identification of glutamate transporters and receptors in mouse testis.

AIM: To investigate the presence of glutamate transporters and receptors in mouse testis. METHODS: Glutamate uptake analysis was performed to study the function of glutamate transporters in mouse testis. Comparative RT-PCR technique and sequencing analysis were used to study the expression of glutamate receptors and transporters in mouse testis. RESULTS: Mouse testis possessed glutamate uptake capacity with sodium-dependence. Vmax value of glutamate uptake was (1.60 +/- 0.21) pmol/min per mg protein and Km value of glutamate uptake was (11.0+/-1.6) micromol/L in mouse testis according to saturation analysis. Furthermore, the uptake activity could be inhibited by DHK (GLT1 selective inhibitor) and THA (glutamate uptake inhibitor). In addition, RT-PCR results revealed that glutamate transporters (GLT1 and EAAC1) and ionotropic glutamate receptors (NR1, NR2B, GluR6 and KA2) were expressed in mouse testis. CONCLUSION: Glutamate transporters and receptors do exist in mouse testis.

Amino Acid Transport System X-AG↗

Interaction of the D-isomer of gamma-methylene glutamate with an active site thiol of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase.

gamma-Glutamylcysteine synthetase has a thiol group in the vicinity of its glutamate-binding site. During efforts to find a covalently bound inhibitor, interaction of the enzyme with gamma-methylene glutamate was examined because this analog of glutamate, which has an alpha,beta-unsaturated moiety, would be expected to bind at the glutamate site and might react with an active site thiol. gamma-Methylene glutamate, which is not a significant substrate, inhibits the enzyme competitively toward glutamate. Preincubation of the enzyme with gamma-methylene DL-glutamate led to substantial inactivation which was dependent upon the presence of Mg2+ or Mn2+; glutamate protected against inactivation. Inactivation was observed with the D-isomer of gamma-methylene glutamate, but not with the corresponding L-isomer. The inactivated enzyme contains close to 1 mol of gamma-methylene glutamate/mol of enzyme. Studies in which enzyme inactivated by treatment with [14C]gamma-methylene glutamate was hydrolyzed indicate that gamma-methylene glutamate reacts with an active site thiol.

Animals↗

Glutamate uptake by brain synaptic vesicles. Energy dependence of transport and functional reconstitution in proteoliposomes.

The dependence of glutamate uptake on ATP-generated proton electrochemical potential was studied in a highly purified preparation of synaptic vesicles from rat brain. At low chloride concentration (4 mM), the proton pump present in synaptic vesicles generated a large membrane potential (inside-positive), associated with only minor acidification. Under these conditions, the rate of L-[3H]glutamate uptake was maximal. In addition, L-glutamate induced acidification of the vesicle interior. D-Glutamate produced only 40% of the effect, and L-aspartate or gamma-aminobutyric acid produced less than 5%. The initial rate of glutamate-induced acidification increased with increasing glutamate concentration. It was saturable and showed first-order kinetics (KM = 0.32 mM). Correspondingly, L-glutamate induced a small reduction in the membrane potential. The rate of ATP hydrolysis was unaffected. In comparison, glutamate had no effect on acidification or membrane potential in resealed membranes of chromaffin granules. At high chloride concentration (150 mM), the vesicular proton pump generated a large pH difference, associated with a small change in membrane potential. Under these conditions, uptake of L-[3H]glutamate by synaptic vesicles was low. For reconstitution, vesicle proteins were solubilized with the detergent sodium cholate, supplemented with brain phospholipids, and incorporated into liposomes. Proton pump and glutamate uptake activities of the proteoliposomes showed properties similar to those of intact vesicles indicating that the carrier was reconstituted in a functionally active form. It is concluded that glutamate uptake by synaptic vesicles is dependent on the membrane potential and that all components required for uptake are integral parts of the vesicle membrane.

Acridine Orange↗

Glutamate transprot in rat kidney mitochondria.

The quantitative characteristics of [U-14C]glutamate transport were determined in rotenone-inhibited energized rat kidney mitochondria at pH 7.0 and 28 degrees C. Glutamate efflux was observed to be first order with respect to matrix glutamate with a rate constant of 0.457 min-1. Uptake kinetic studies indicated that the Km of external glutamate was 1.4 mM and the Vmax 3.2 nmol/mg X min. These kinetic values were found to be unchanged at pH 6.6 or in mitochondria obtained from kidneys of chronically acidotic rats. Parallel studies of glutamate deamination were performed in which mitochondria were incubated in state 3, state 4, and with carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone, in the presence of malonate. The oxidative deamination of glutamate determined with 1 and 10 mM glutamate never exceeded the simultaneously measured rate of glutamate transport. No glutamate was detectable within the mitochondrial matrix under the conditions of these metabolic experiments. The studies indicate that the glutamate hydroxyl transporter is quite slow and rate limiting for the oxidative deamination of external glutamate in rat kidney mitochondria.

Acidosis↗

Intracellular sodium concentration in cultured cerebellar granule cells challenged with glutamate.

We monitored simultaneously the changes in the intracellular sodium concentration ([Na+]i) and intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) in individual neurons from primary cultures of cerebellar granule cells loaded with sodium-binding benzofuran isophthalate and fluo-3. An application of glutamate (50 microM) in Mg(2+)-free medium containing 10 microM glycine evoked [Na+]i and [Ca2+]i increases that exceeded 60 mM and 1 microM, respectively. The kinetics of [Na+]i and [Ca2+]i decreases after the termination of the glutamate pulse were different. [Na+]i failed to decrease immediately after glutamate withdrawal and the delay in the onset of [Na+]i decrease after the glutamate pulse termination was proportional to the glutamate dose, the glutamate pulse duration, and the extent of [Ca2+]i elevation elicited by glutamate. The kinetics of [Ca2+]i decrease were biphasic, with the first phase occurring immediately after glutamate withdrawal and the second phase being correlated in time with a [Na+]i value lower than 15-20 mM. These results were interpreted to indicate that the glutamate-evoked calcium influx may lead to sodium homeostasis destabilization. The delay in the restoration of the sodium gradient may in turn prolong the neuronal exposure to toxic [Ca2+]i values, due to the decrease in the efficiency of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger to extrude calcium. The glutamate effects on [Na+]i and [Ca2+]i were potentiated by glycine. Glycine (10 microM) added alone also evoked [Na+]i and [Ca2+]i increases; this effect was inhibited by a competitive inhibitor of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, 3-(2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)propyl-1-phosphonic acid, indicating an involvement of endogenous glutamate.

Animals↗