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Functional ‘glial’ GLYT1 glycine transporters expressed in neurons
Author(s) -
Raiteri Luca,
Raiteri Maurizio
Publication year - 2010
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.1471-4159.2010.06802.x
Subject(s) - glutamatergic , forebrain , neuroscience , glycine , biology , nmda receptor , glycine receptor , receptor , glutamate receptor , central nervous system , biochemistry , amino acid
J. Neurochem. (2010) 114 , 647–653. Abstract Glycine transporter 1 (GLYT1) and GLYT2 are the glycine transporters in CNS. While GLYT2 is largely expressed in glycinergic neurons, GLYT1 has long been considered to be exclusively present in glial cells. There is increasing evidence that significant amounts of the ‘glial’ transporter also exist on neurons, particularly on pre‐synaptic nerve endings of glutamatergic neurons. The functions of ‘neuronal GLYT1’ may be manifold and are discussed in this review. Of major interest are the interactions between neuronal GLYT1 and glutamatergic receptors of the NMDA type the activity of which is modulated not only by astrocytic GLYT1 but also by neuronal GLYT1. Pathophysiological roles and therapeutic implications of neuronal GLYT1 are emerging from recent studies with genetically modified mice, particularly with animals lacking forebrain neuron‐specific GLYT1 transporters. These mutant mice exhibit promnesic phenotypes reflecting enhancement of NMDA receptor function, as it occurs following administration of GLYT1 inhibitors. Inactivation of neuronal GLYT1 in the forebrain may represent an effective therapeutic intervention for the treatment of schizophrenia.