Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 10, 2026

Deriving the Time Course of Glutamate Clearance with a Deconvolution Analysis of Astrocytic Transporter Currents
Published on: August 7, 2013
Syntheses of optically pure beta-hydroxyaspartate derivatives as glutamate transporter blockers
K Shimamoto1, Y Shigeri, Y Yasuda-Kamatani
1Suntory Institute for Bioorganic Research, Wakayamadai, Mishima, Osaka, Japan. shimamot@sunbor.or.jp
Abstract:
DL-threo-beta-benzyloxyaspartate (DL-TBOA) is a non-transportable blocker of the glutamate transporters that serves as an indispensable tool for the investigation of the physiological roles of the transporters. To examine the precise interaction between a blocker and the transporters, we synthesized the optically pure isomers (L- and D-TBOA) and its erythro-isomers. L-TBOA is the most potent blocker for the human excitatory amino acid transporters (EAAT1-3), while D-TBOA revealed a difference in the pharmacophores between EAAT1 and EAAT3. We also synthesized the substituent variants (methyl or naphthylmethyl derivatives) of L-TBOA. The results obtained here suggest that bulky substituents are crucial for non-transportable blockers.
Related Concept Videos
Drugs Affecting Neurotransmitter Synthesis
Direct-Acting Cholinergic Agonists: Pharmacokinetics
Adrenergic Agonists: Indirect-Acting Agents
One mechanism involves depleting stored catecholamines by displacing them from synaptic vesicles. These agents, known as "displacers," are transported into vesicles at the expense of noradrenaline. Examples include amphetamine and tyramine, which lack a catechol moiety, resulting in prolonged action, improved oral bioavailability, and...
Antiepileptic Drugs: Glutamate Antagonists
Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism
Neurochemical Transmission: Sites of Drug Action
