Cloning and expression of a cocaine-sensitive dopamine transporter complementary DNA.

A rat dopamine (DA) transporter complementary DNA has been isolated with combined complementary DNA homology and expression approaches. The DA transporter is a 619-amino acid protein with 12 hydrophobic putative membrane-spanning domains and homology to the norepinephrine and gamma-aminobutyric acid transporters. The expressed complementary DNA confers transport of [3H]DA in Xenopus oocytes and in COS cells. Binding of the cocaine analog [3H]CFT ([3H]2 beta-carbomethoxy-3 beta-(4-fluorophenyl)tropane) to transfected COS cell membranes yields a pharmacological profile similar to that in striatal membranes.