title: Mutual inhibition kinetic analysis of gamma-aminobutyric acid, taurine, and beta-alanine high-affinity transport into neurons and astrocytes: evidence for similarity between the taurine and beta-alanine carriers in both cell types.
abstract: The transport kinetics of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), taurine, and beta-alanine in addition to the mutual inhibition patterns of these compounds were investigated in cultures of neurons and astrocytes derived from mouse cerebral cortex. A high-affinity uptake system for each amino acid was demonstrated both in neurons (Km GABA = 24.9 +/- 1.7 microM; Km Tau = 20.0 +/- 3.3 microM; Km beta-Ala = 73.0 +/- 3.6 microM) and astrocytes (Km GABA = 31.4 +/- 2.9 microM, Km Tau = 24.7 +/- 1.3 microM; Km beta-Ala = 70.8 +/- 3.6 microM). The maximal uptake rates (Vmax) determined were such that, in neurons, Vmax GABA greater than Vmax beta-Ala = Vmax Tau, whereas in astrocytes, Vmax beta-Ala greater than Vmax Tau = Vmax GABA. Taurine was found to inhibit beta-alanine uptake into neurons and astrocytes in a competitive manner, with Ki values of 217 microM in neurons and 24 microM in astrocytes. beta-Alanine was shown to inhibit taurine uptake in neurons and astrocytes, also in a competitive manner, with Ki values of 72 microM in neurons and 71 microM in astrocytes. However, beta-alanine was found to be a weak noncompetitive inhibitor of neuronal and astrocytic GABA uptake, whereas in reverse experiments, GABA displayed weak noncompetitive inhibition of neuronal and astrocytic uptake of beta-alanine. Likewise, taurine was a weak noncompetitive inhibitor of GABA uptake in neurons and similarly, GABA was a weak noncompetitive inhibitor of taurine uptake into neurons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
mesh_terms: D000409:Alanine / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D007700:Kinetics; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D013654:Taurine / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D015091:beta-Alanine / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D015091:beta-Alanine; D013654:Taurine; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D000409:Alanine