Vol. 277, Issue 4, F477-F480, October 1999
BRIEF REVIEW
Introduction: Glutamate transport, metabolism, and physiological
responses
M. A.
Hediger1 and
T. C.
Welbourne2
1 Membrane Biology Program and
Renal Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical
School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115; and
2 Department of Molecular and
Cellular Physiology, Louisiana State University Medical Center,
Shreveport, Louisiana 71130
The material covered in this set of articles was originally
presented at Experimental Biology '98, in San Francisco, CA, on April
20, 1998. Here, the participants recount important
elements of current research on the role of glutamate transporter
activity in cellular signaling, metabolism, and organ function. W. A. Fairman and S. G. Amara discuss the five subtypes of human excitatory amino acid transporters, with emphasis on the EAAT4 subtype. M. A. Hediger discusses the expression and action of EAAC1 subtype of
the human excitatory amino acid transporter. I. Nissim provides an
overview of the significant role of pH in regulating Gln/Glu metabolism
in the kidney, liver, and brain. J. D. McGivan and B. Nicholson
describe some characteristics of glutamate transport regulation with
regard to a specific experimental model of the bovine renal epithelial
cell line NBL-1. Finally, T. C. Welbourne and J. C. Matthews introduce
the "functional unit" concept of glutamate transport and how this
relates to both glutamine metabolism and paracellular permeability.
excitatory amino acid transporter; amino acid deprivation; hypertonic stress; acute pH change; liver; brain; astrocytes; neurons; tricarboxylic acid cycle; urea cycle
