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Glutamate transporter EAAC1 is expressed on Müller cells of lower vertebrate retinas
Author(s) -
Zhao JingWei,
Yang XiongLi
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of neuroscience research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.72
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1097-4547
pISSN - 0360-4012
DOI - 10.1002/jnr.1200
Subject(s) - excitatory amino acid transporter , vertebrate , transporter , glutamate receptor , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , neuroscience , medicine , biophysics , endocrinology , biochemistry , gene , receptor
The expression of glutamate transporter EAAC1 was investigated in carp and bullfrog retinas using Western blotting, immunofluorescence double labeling and confocal laser scanning microscopic techniques. In addition to a variety of retinal neurons, radially oriented elements spanning the whole neural retinas of carp and bullfrog were also EAAC1‐immunoreactive, and EAAC1 was found to be predominantly on the cell membrane. Virtually all EAAC1‐labeled radial elements were immunopositive to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a specific marker for retinal Müller cells of carp and bullfrog, indicating that they were Müller cells. This finding suggests that EAAC1, which has been thought to be an exclusively neuronal type, may be a glial transporter as well. EAAC1 of Müller cells may play an important modulatory role in the retina by making contributions to glutamate homeostasis. J. Neurosci. Res. 66:89–95, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.