Premium
Bidirectional Movement of γ‐Aminobutyric Acid in Rat Spinal Cord Slices
Author(s) -
Moscowitz Joyce A.,
Cutler R. W. P.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1980.tb09015.x
Subject(s) - spinal cord , endogeny , nipecotic acid , ouabain , aminobutyric acid , chemistry , calcium , gamma aminobutyric acid , biophysics , potassium , biochemistry , neurotransmitter , neuroscience , biology , sodium , receptor , organic chemistry
The bidirectional movement of GABA (γ‐aminobutyric acid) was studied in slices of rat spinal cord which were incubated in small volumes of medium. The appearance in the medium of endogenous GABA and the disappearance from the medium of [ 14 C]GABA were used to calculate the rates of unidirectional uptake and unidirectional release of GABA. Under these conditions, no net uptake of GABA was observed when slices were incubated in media containing concentrations of GABA as high as 25 μ m . Elevated potassium (60 m m ) stimulated the unidirectional release of endogenous GABA from spinal cord slices by a calcium‐dependent process. Ouabain (0.1 m m ) more than doubled the unidirectional release of endogenous GABA in a calcium‐independent manner, while unidirectional uptake was inhibited by 44%. Nipecotic acid (1.0 m m ) stimulated unidirectional release and inhibited unidirectional uptake of GABA.