Moriyama Yoshinori, Yamamoto Akitsugu
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530.
J Biochem. 2004 Feb;135(2):155-63. doi: 10.1093/jb/mvh018.
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, VGLUT1, 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.
囊泡谷氨酸转运体（VGLUT）负责将L-谷氨酸主动转运至突触小泡中，因此在中枢神经系统的谷氨酸能化学传递中发挥着至关重要的作用。VGLUT由三种亚型VGLUT1、2和3组成，是谷氨酸能表型的潜在标志物。最近的研究表明，VGLUT也在非神经元细胞中表达，并定位于各种细胞器，如松果体中的突触样微泡以及内分泌细胞中含激素的分泌颗粒。L-谷氨酸储存在这些细胞器中，在各种形式的刺激下分泌，然后作为旁分泌样调节剂发挥作用。因此，VGLUTs突出了谷氨酸能信号传导的新框架，并揭示了其多样的作用模式。
