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The effect of thiol reagents on GABA transport in rat brain synaptosomes
Author(s) -
Troeger Melody B.,
Wilson David F.,
Erecińska Maria
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/0014-5793(84)80509-8
Subject(s) - reagent , thiol , chemistry , gaba transporter , transporter , biochemistry , gamma aminobutyric acid , membrane , biophysics , biology , organic chemistry , receptor , gene
The nature of γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) transport has been investigated in preparations of rat brain synaptosomes using a number of thiol reagents with varying membrane permeabilities. N ‐Ethylmaleimide, p ‐chloromercuribenzoate and p ‐chloromercuriphenylsulfonate effectively inhibited GABA transport in both directions (i.e., uptake and release) whereas 5,5′ ‐dithiobis‐2‐nitrobenzoate, mercaptopropionate and N ‐nitroethylenediamine were much less effective, or ineffective, even at millimolar concentrations. For each of the thiol reagents, the inhibition profile for GABA uptake was approximately the same as that for its release. The effectiveness of the reagents indicates that there is an external, reactable SH‐group on the transporter, that the thiol reagent must be somewhat lipophilic for it to react with the SH‐group(s) and that the same synaptosomal transport system is responsible for both uptake and release of GABA.