Astrocytes are in addition to the presynaptic and postsynaptic nerve cells, an equivalent part of the synapse (tripartite synapse). They tightly wrap the synapses and are responsible for the removal of neurotransmitters from the synaptic cleft and prevent them from working neurotoxic. Much has already been explored about the removal of glutamate, histamine and other neurotransmitters. Far less studies have been done to clarify the mechanism of astrocytes dopamine uptake.
Dopamine can be transported into the neuron via active uptake or facilitated diffusion. In the thesis experiments, we investigated the properties of the dopamine uptake in astrocytes that were isolated from the cortex and striatum of the newborn rat. We wanted to check whether the uptake differs in different parts of the brain and which uptake (active transport or facilitated diffusion) is dominant in individual areas of the brain.
The dopamine uptake in astrocytes is time, concentration and pH dependent. The kinetics of the transport was different in astrocytes that were isolated from different brain regions. Under physiological conditions (pH 7,4) the uptake is not optimal. It gets much higher at lower pH.
We found that dopamine uptake in astrocytes from the cerebral cortex is transmitted through a low-affinity transport system with a Michaelis and Maud Menten (Km) constant 1063 and a maximum uptake rate 13,06 fmol/mg protein/min. The uptake was ?Na?^+ independent and it wasn’t inhibited by selective DAT and NET inhibitors. The characteristics of the uptake correspond to the facilitated diffusion.
The uptake of [3H]-dopamine in the astrocytes of the striatum is transmitted with a high-affinity transporter with a Michaelis and Maud Menten constant (Km) 195.3 nM, and maximum rate of uptake (V max) of 25,76 fmol/mg protein/min. The transporter was dependent on the presence of ?Na?^+ almost the entire concertation interval and the uptake of dopamine decreased in the presence of DAT and NET inhibitors. The transporter characteristics correspond to the active transport. At higher concentrations (higher than 150 nM), the kinetics of the uptake changed and low-affinity transporters and facilitate diffusion became the main uptake mechanism. The uptake became ?Na?^+ independent and insensitive to the presence of selective DAT and NET inhibitors.
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