title: Vesicular nucleotide transport: a brief history and the vesicular nucleotide transporter as a target for drug development.
abstract: Neurons and neuroendocrine cells store nucleotides in vesicles and release them upon stimulation, leading to intercellular purinergic signaling. The molecular machinery responsible for the vesicular storage of nucleotides was a long standing enigma, however, recently the transporter involving in the process was identified. This article summarizes the history of vesicular storage of nucleotides and the identification of the vesicular nucleotide transporter (VNUT) responsible for the process. The significance of VNUT as a drug target to control purinergic chemical transmission is also discussed.
authors.forename: Miki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hiasa
authors.forename: Natsuko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Togawa
authors.affiliation: M.H. is a Woman-Tenure- Track Faculty Stuff at Okayama University; Department of Membrane Biochemistry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama 700-8530 Japan. hiasa_arioka@pharm.okayama-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Moriyama
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000502:physiology; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D055808:Drug Discovery / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D033704:Nucleotide Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009711:Nucleotides / Q000378:metabolism*; D022142:Secretory Vesicles / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D033704:Nucleotide Transport Proteins; D009711:Nucleotides; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate