Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Deriving the Time Course of Glutamate Clearance with a Deconvolution Analysis of Astrocytic Transporter Currents
Published on: August 7, 2013
Currents in neurotransmitter transporters
1Institute of Pharmacology, Center for Biomolecular Medicine and Pharmacology, Medical University Vienna, Währingerstrasse 13a, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
Abstract:
Traditionally, substrate translocation by neurotransmitter transporters has been described by the alternate access model. Recent structural data obtained with three distantly related transporters have also been interpreted as supportive of this model, because conformational correlates were visualized (inward-facing conformation, occluded state). However, the experimental evidence is overwhelmingly in favour of a more complex mode of operation: Transporters also exist in conformations that do not seal the permeation pathway. These conformations support a channel-like activity, including random permeation of substrate and co-substrate ions in a single-file mode. It is likely that the channel-like activity is modified by the interaction of the transporters with accessory proteins and regulatory kinases. Finally, channel-like activity is instrumental to understand the mechanism of action of amphetamines.
Related Concept Videos
Neurochemical Transmission: Sites of Drug Action
Electrochemical Gradient and Channel Proteins: An Overview
The electrical gradient: The electrical gradient across cell membranes refers to the difference in electric charge between the inside and outside of a cell. This difference drives the movement of ions towards or away from the cells. For instance, if the inside of the cell is more negatively charged relative to the...
Active Transport
Primary active transporters, like Na+, K+ and -ATPase, directly utilize ATP to move ions across the membrane. These transporters play significant roles in various physiological processes. For instance, Na+, K+ and -ATPase maintain...
Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters
The Significance of Membrane Transport
Transporters facilitate either an active or passive movement of solutes. They can allow a single-molecule transport down its...
Membrane Transporters
Transporters are mainly composed of alpha-helices, built from bundles of ten or more helices traversing the plasma membrane. The solute-binding sites are located midway, where some of the helices are broken or distorted, making space for the binding site through...

