The Journal of Biochemistry
Online ISSN : 1756-2651
Print ISSN : 0021-924X
Glutamatergic Chemical Transmission: Look! Here, There, and Anywhere
Yoshinori MoriyamaAkitsugu Yamamoto
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2004 Volume 135 Issue 2 Pages 155-163

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Abstract

Vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT) is responsible for the active transport of L-glutamate in synaptic vesicles and thus plays an essential role in the glutamatergic chemical transmission in the central nervous system. VGLUT comprises three isoforms, VGLUT 1, 2, and 3, and is a potential marker for the glutamatergic phenotype. Recent studies indicated that VGLUT is also expressed in non-neuronal cells, and localized with various organelles such as synaptic-like microvesicles in the pineal gland, and hormone-containing secretory granules in endocrine cells. L-Glutamate is stored in these organelles, secreted upon various forms of stimulation, and then acts as a paracrine-like modulator. Thus, VGLUTs highlight a novel framework of glutamatergic signaling and reveal its diverse modes of action.

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