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

Scott Eliasof, Jeffrey L. Arriza, Barbara H. Leighton, Susan G. Amara, Michael P. Kavanaugh

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

59 Scopus citations

Abstract

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, sEAAT2A, 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.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1443-1454
Number of pages12
JournalVision Research
Volume38
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1998

Keywords

  • Cloned transporter
  • Glutamate transporters
  • Salamander retina

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