We report a structure of a trimeric glutamate transporter homolog from Pyrococcus horikoshii with two protomers in an inward facing state and the third in an intermediate conformation between the outward and inward facing states. The intermediate shows a cavity in the thinnest region of the transporter, which is potentially accessible to extracellular and cytoplasmic solutions. Our findings suggest a structural principle by which transport intermediates may mediate uncoupled permeation of polar solutes.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3633560 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nsmb.2233 | DOI Listing |
J Physiol
January 2025
Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Saints-Pères Paris Institute for the Neurosciences, Paris, France.
Fañanas cells (FCs) are cerebellar glia of unknown function. First described more than a century ago, they have been almost absent from the scientific literature ever since. Here, we combined whole-cell, patch clamp recordings, near-UV laser photolysis, dye-loading and confocal imaging for a first characterization of FCs in terms of their morphology, electrophysiology and glutamate-evoked currents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEndocrinology
January 2025
Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
Hypothalamic kisspeptin (Kiss1) neurons are vital for maintaining fertility in the mammal. In the female rodent, Kiss1 neurons populate the anteroventral periventricular/periventricular nuclei (Kiss1AVPV/PeN) and the arcuate nucleus (Kiss1ARH). Kiss1ARH neurons (a.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPharmaceuticals (Basel)
January 2025
Department of Basic Sciences, Ponce Research Institute, Ponce Health Sciences University, Ponce, PR 00716, USA.
Background/objectives: Cocaine use disorder is an intersecting issue in populations with HIV-1, further exacerbating the clinical course of the disease and contributing to neurotoxicity and neuroinflammation. Cocaine and HIV neurotoxins play roles in neuronal damage during neuroHIV progression by disrupting glutamate homeostasis in the brain. Even with combined antiretroviral therapy (cART), HIV-1 Nef, an early viral protein expressed in approximately 1% of infected astrocytes, remains a key neurotoxin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
January 2025
Program in Neuroscience, Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA.
Astrocytes produce and export glutathione (GSH), an important thiol antioxidant essential for protecting neural cells from oxidative stress and maintaining optimal brain health. While it has been established that oxidative stress increases GSH production in astrocytes, with Nrf2 acting as a critical transcription factor regulating key components of the GSH synthetic pathway, the role of Nrf2 in controlling constitutive GSH synthetic and release mechanisms remains incompletely investigated. Our data show that naïve primary mouse astrocytes cultured from the cerebral cortices of Nrf2 knockout (Nrf2) pups have significantly less intracellular and extracellular GSH levels when compared to astrocytes cultured from Nrf2 wild-type (Nrf2) pups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSheng Wu Gong Cheng Xue Bao
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China.
The efficient production of L-glutamate is dependent on the product's rapid efflux, hence researchers have recently concentrated on artificially modifying its transport system and cell membrane wall structure. Considering the unique composition and structure of the cell wall of , we investigated the effects of CmpLs on L-glutamate synthesis and transport in SCgGC7, a constitutive L-glutamate efflux strain. First, the knockout strains of CmpLs were constructed, and it was confirmed that the deletion of CmpL1 and CmpL4 significantly improved the performance of L-glutamate producers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!