Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter, but prolonged exposure even at micromolar concentrations causes neuronal death. Extracellular glutamate is maintained at nanomolar level by glutamate transporters, which, however, may reverse transport and release glutamate. If and when the reverse occurs depends on glutamate transport stoichiometry (GTS). Previously we found that in the prese...

Both glutamate receptors and transporters are known to be important in the postsynaptic regulation of glutamate neurotransmission. However, the maturation profile of glutamate transporter EAAC1 and glutamate receptor subunits (NR1, NR2A and NR2B; and GluR 1-4) in functionally activated saccule-related vestibular nuclear neurons of postnatal rats remains unclear. In the present study, conscious ...

Both glutamate receptors and transporters are known to be important in the postsynaptic regulation of glutamate neurotransmission. However, the maturation profile of glutamate transporter EAAC1 and glutamate receptor subunits (NR1, NR2A and NR2B; and GluR 1-4) in functionally activated saccule-related vestibular nuclear neurons of postnatal rats remains unclear. In the present study, conscious ...

The neurotransmitter glutamate is a major player in the physiology and pathology of the nervous system. Glutamate receptors are responsible for fast excitatory neurotransmission underlying the sensory, motor and cognitive functions of the nervous system. However, overstimulation of these receptors, and in particular those of the NMDA receptor subtype, is associated with neuronal death in acute ...

Glutamate transporters are responsible for uptake of the neurotransmitter glutamate in mammalian central nervous systems. Their archaeal homologue GltPh, an aspartate transporter isolated from Pyrococcus horikoshii, has been the focus of extensive studies through crystallography, MD simulations and single-molecule FRET (smFRET). Here, we summarize the recent research progress on GltPh, in the h...

Iodine deficiency (ID) during early pregnancy has an adverse effect on children's psychomotor and motor function but the mechanism has not been clarified. Therefore, our aim was to study the effect of maternal marginal ID on cerebellar neurodevelopment and the underlying mechanism. After obtaining marginal ID rats, we examined interactions between Bergmann glia cells (BGs) and Purkinje cells (P...

General anesthesia impairs glutamate homeostasis at synapses by decreasing the production of glutamate transporters. Glutamate transporters in astrocytes are important to preserve cognitive function and memory in hippocampus. In this study we investigated whether ulinastatin increases the number of glutamate transporters in glial cells. We used human astrocytes to demonstrate glutamate uptake i...