title: Astrocytes revisited: concise historic outlook on glutamate homeostasis and signaling.
abstract: Astroglia is a main type of brain neuroglia, which includes many cell sub-types that differ in their morphology and physiological properties and yet are united by the main function, which is the maintenance of brain homeostasis. Astrocytes employ a variety of mechanisms for communicating with neuronal networks. The communication mediated by neurotransmitter glutamate has received a particular attention. Glutamate is de novo synthesized exclusively in astrocytes; astroglia-derived glutamine is the source of glutamate for neurons. Glutamate is released from both neurons and astroglia through exocytosis, although various other mechanisms may also play a role. Glutamate-activated specific receptors trigger excitatory responses in neurons and astroglia. Here we overview main properties of glutamatergic transmission in neuronal-glial networks and identify some future challenges facing the field.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL 35294-0021, USA. vlad@uab.edu
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Parpura
authors.forename: Alexei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verkhratsky
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018698:Glutamic Acid