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The dopamine transporter (DAT) is a cell membrane protein whose main function is to reuptake the dopamine (DA) released in the synaptic cleft back into the dopaminergic neurons. Previous studies suggested that the activity of DAT is regulated by allosteric proteins such as Syntaxin-1A and is altered by drugs of abuse such as amphetamine (Amph). Because  Caenorhabditis elegans  expresses both DAT (DAT-1) and Syntaxin-1A (UNC-64), we used this model system to investigate the functional and behavioral effects caused by lack of expression of  unc-64  in cultured dopaminergic neurons and in living animals. Using an inheritable RNA silencing technique, we were able to knockdown  unc-64  specifically in the dopaminergic neurons. This cell-specific knockdown approach avoids the pleiotropic phenotypes caused by knockout mutations of  unc-64  and ensures the transmission of dopaminergic specific  unc-64  silencing to the progeny. We found that, similarly to  dat-1  knockouts and  dat-1  silenced lines, animals with reduced  unc-64  expression in the dopaminergic neurons did not respond to Amph treatment when tested for locomotor behaviors. Our  in vitro  data demonstrated that in neuronal cultures derived from animals silenced for  unc-64 , the DA uptake was reduced by 30% when compared to controls, and this reduction was similar to that measured in neurons isolated from animals silenced for  dat-1  (40%). Moreover, reduced expression of  unc-64  in the dopaminergic neurons significantly reduced the DA release elicited by Amph. Because in  C. elegans  DAT-1 is the only protein capable to reuptake DA, these data show that reduced expression of  unc-64  in the dopaminergic neurons decreases the capability of DAT in re-accumulating synaptic DA. Moreover, these results demonstrate that decreased expression of  unc-64  in the dopaminergic neurons abrogates the locomotor behavior induced by Amph. Taken together these data suggest that Syntaxin-1A plays an important role in both functional and behavioral effects caused by Amph.

frontiers in physiology

Silencing of Syntaxin 1A in the Dopaminergic Neurons Decreases the Activity of the Dopamine Transporter and Prevents Amphetamine-Induced Behaviors in C. elegans