title: Glutamate transporter EAAC1 is expressed on Müller cells of lower vertebrate retinas.
abstract: The expression of glutamate transporter EAAC1 was investigated in carp and bullfrog retinas using Western blotting, immunofluorescence double labeling and confocal laser scanning microscopic techniques. In addition to a variety of retinal neurons, radially oriented elements spanning the whole neural retinas of carp and bullfrog were also EAAC1-immunoreactive, and EAAC1 was found to be predominantly on the cell membrane. Virtually all EAAC1-labeled radial elements were immunopositive to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a specific marker for retinal Müller cells of carp and bullfrog, indicating that they were Müller cells. This finding suggests that EAAC1, which has been thought to be an exclusively neuronal type, may be a glial transporter as well. EAAC1 of Müller cells may play an important modulatory role in the retina by making contributions to glutamate homeostasis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurobiology, Fudan University and Shanghai Institute of Physiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: X L
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D027322:Amino Acid Transport System X-AG; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology; D050580:Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 3; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D050491:Glutamate Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D006054:Goldfish; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D011817:Rabbits; D011892:Rana catesbeiana; D051381:Rats; D012160:Retina / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013045:Species Specificity; D027981:Symporters
chemical_list: D027322:Amino Acid Transport System X-AG; D000906:Antibodies; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D050580:Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 3; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D050491:Glutamate Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; C493398:Slc1a1 protein, rat; D027981:Symporters