Functional maturation of astroglia is characterized by the development of a unique, ramified morphology and the induction of important functional proteins, such as glutamate transporter GLT1. Although pathways regulating the early fate specification of astroglia have been characterized, mechanisms regulating postnatal maturation of astroglia remain essentially unknown. Here we used a new in viv...

Concentrative absorption of glutamate by the developing placenta is critical for proper fetal development. The expression of GLAST1, GLT1, EAAC1, and EAAT4, known to be capable ofd-aspartate-inhibitable and Na+-coupled glutamate transport (system [Formula: see text]), was evaluated in day 14 vs. day 20 rat chorioallantoic placenta. Steady-state mRNA levels were greater at day 20 for all transpo...

In the cochlea, afferent transmission between inner hair cells and auditory neurons is mediated by glutamate receptors. Glutamate transporters located near the synapse and in spiral ganglion neurons are thought to maintain low synaptic levels of glutamate. We analyzed three glutamate transporter blockers for their ability to alter the effects of glutamate, exogenously applied to the synapse via...

It has been considered that the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, like many other microorganisms, synthesizes glutamate through the action of NADP+-glutamate dehydrogenase (NADP+-GDH), encoded by GDH1, or through the combined action of glutamine synthetase and glutamate synthase (GOGAT), encoded by GLN1 and GLT1, respectively. A double mutant of S. cerevisiae lacking NADP+-GDH and GOGAT activitie...

Evidence demonstrated that many aspects of drug abuse and dependence involve changes in glutamate neurotransmission. Neuroadaptations of the glutamatergic system are critical in alcohol dependence, tolerance and withdrawal (Krystal et al., 2003; Backstrom and Hyytia, 2005; Cowen et al., 2005; Olive et al., 2005; Hodge et al., 2006; Bird et al., 2008; Kapasova and Szumlinski, 2008; Besheer et al...

BACKGROUND During cerebral ischemia, excess of glutamate release and dysfunction of its high affinity transport induce an accumulation of extracellular glutamate, which plays an important role in neuronal death. The authors studied the relationship among propofol neuroprotection, glutamate extracellular concentrations, and glutamate transporter activity in a model of ischemic cortical cell cult...

Purpose To develop an ex vivo explant system using multiphoton microscopy and digital volume correlation to measure the full-field deformation response to intraocular pressure (IOP) change in the peripapillary sclera (PPS) and in the optic nerve head (ONH) astrocytic structure. Methods Green fluorescent protein (GFP)-glutamate transporter-GLT1 (GLT1/GFP) mouse eyes were explanted and imaged w...

Neurohumoral activation, which includes augmented plasma levels of the neurohormone vasopressin (VP), is a common finding in heart failure (HF) that contributes to morbidity and mortality in this disease. While an increased activation of magnocellular neurosecretory cells (MNCs) and enhanced glutamate function in HF is well documented, the precise underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Stroke is a devastating disease. Both excitotoxicity and oxidative stress play important roles in ischemic brain injury, along with harmful impacts on ischemic cerebral tissue. As guanosine plays an important neuroprotective role in the central nervous system, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of guanosine and putative cerebral events f...