Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Journal of Biological Chemistry

Publication Date

1998

Volume

273

Issue

28

Disciplines

Medical Sciences | Medicine and Health Sciences | Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Abstract

The excitatory amino acid transporter EAAT4 is expressed predominantly in Purkinje neurons in the rat cerebellum (1-3), and it participates in postsynaptic reuptake of glutamate released at the climbing fiber synapse (4). Transporter-mediated currents in Purkinje neurons are increased more than 3-fold by arachidonic acid, a second messenger that is liberated following depolarization-induced Ca2+ activation of phospholipase A2 (5). In this study we demonstrate that application of arachidonic acid to oocytes expressing rat EAAT4 increased glutamate-induced currents to a similar extent. However, arachidonic acid did not cause an increase in the rate of glutamate transport or in the chloride current associated with glutamate transport but rather activated a proton-selective conductance. These data reveal a novel action of arachidonate on a glutamate transporter and suggest a mechanism by which synaptic activity may decrease intracellular pH in neurons where this transporter is localized.

DOI

10.1074/jbc.273.28.17315

Rights

© 1998 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

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