title: [Pharmacology of monoamine neurotransmitter transporters].
abstract: Following exocytotic release, the biogenic amine neurotransmitters, norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin are removed from the synaptic cleft by the respective transporter, NET, DAT, and SERT, located on the plasma membrane and then re-stored into synaptic vesicles by vesicular monoamine transporter, VMAT. The molecular cloning of these transporters revealed that NET, DAT, and SERT are members of a sodium-dependent neurotransmitter transporter gene family, while VMATs arise from proton-dependent transporter gene family. Structural features common to NET, DAT, and SERT reveal a putative 12 transmembrane-spanning domain structure with cytosolic N- and C-terminal regions. Recent evidence suggest the regulation of the functional expression of these transporters via phosphorylation, which include direct phosphorylation of transporter proteins and/or of associated proteins that may control transporter function/expression. In addition, the substrates and inhibitors for these transporters appear capable of regulating transporter cell surface expression, thereby suggesting both activity-dependent and pharmacological regulatory mechanisms for transporter expression. Analyses of the genes provide new insight into their relation to neuronal diseases since NET, DAT and SERT are the molecular targets for many antidepressants as well as drugs of abuse such as cocaine and amphetamine. The availability of cDNAs of these and vesicular transporters has permitted detailed pharmacological studies in heterologous expression systems, and thus would promise the development of novel drugs with diverse chemical structures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Pharmacology, Division of Integrated Medical Science, Hiroshima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan. todohi@hiroshima-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Toshihiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dohi
authors.forename: Shigeo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kitayama
authors.forename: Key
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kumagai
authors.forename: Wataru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Katsuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morita
mesh_terms: D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D015306:Biogenic Monoamines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D006801:Humans; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000502:physiology; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D050484:Norepinephrine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D027981:Symporters / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D015306:Biogenic Monoamines; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D050484:Norepinephrine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; C493227:SLC6A2 protein, human; C493214:SLC6A3 protein, human; C493230:SLC6A4 protein, human; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D027981:Symporters