title: Role of taurine in the central nervous system.
abstract: Taurine demonstrates multiple cellular functions including a central role as a neurotransmitter, as a trophic factor in CNS development, in maintaining the structural integrity of the membrane, in regulating calcium transport and homeostasis, as an osmolyte, as a neuromodulator and as a neuroprotectant. The neurotransmitter properties of taurine are illustrated by its ability to elicit neuronal hyperpolarization, the presence of specific taurine synthesizing enzyme and receptors in the CNS and the presence of a taurine transporter system. Taurine exerts its neuroprotective functions against the glutamate induced excitotoxicity by reducing the glutamate-induced increase of intracellular calcium level, by shifting the ratio of Bcl-2 and Bad ratio in favor of cell survival and by reducing the ER stress. The presence of metabotropic taurine receptors which are negatively coupled to phospholipase C (PLC) signaling pathway through inhibitory G proteins is proposed, and the evidence supporting this notion is also presented.
authors.affiliation: Charles E, Schmidt College of Biomedical Science, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA. jwu@fau.edu
authors.forename: Jang-Yen
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Prentice
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism*; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013654:Taurine / Q000378:metabolism*; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; C030803:taurine receptor; D013654:Taurine; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D002118:Calcium
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