The Dopamine Transporter in Mesencephalic Cultures Is Refractory to Physiological Changes in Membrane Voltage

• Published in: The Journal of neuroscience 2001-10, Vol.21 (19), p.7561-7567
• Main Authors: Prasad, Balakrishna M, Amara, Susan G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Action Potentials - drug effects; Action Potentials - physiology; Animals; Carrier Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors; Carrier Proteins - metabolism; Cells, Cultured; Dopamine - metabolism; Dopamine - pharmacokinetics; Dopamine Antagonists - pharmacology; Dopamine D2 Receptor Antagonists; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors - pharmacology; GABA Agonists - pharmacology; GABA-B Receptor Agonists; Male; Membrane Glycoproteins; Membrane Potentials - drug effects; Membrane Potentials - physiology; Membrane Transport Proteins; Mesencephalon - cytology; Mesencephalon - drug effects; Mesencephalon - metabolism; Nerve Tissue Proteins; Neurons - cytology; Neurons - drug effects; Neurons - metabolism; Nociceptin; Opioid Peptides - pharmacology; Patch-Clamp Techniques; Piperazines - pharmacology; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, Dopamine D2 - agonists; Receptors, Opioid - agonists; Synaptosomes - drug effects; Synaptosomes - metabolism; Tetrodotoxin - pharmacology
• ISSN: 0270-6474; 1529-2401
• DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.21-19-07561.2001

The dopamine transporter (DAT) plays a crucial role in the clearance of extracellular dopamine in brain. Uptake of dopamine by the cloned human DAT has been shown to be electrogenic and voltage-dependent, with greater uptake observed at hyperpolarized potentials. Ventral mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons were used to assess the kinetics of dopamine uptake in relation to their electrical activity. Dopamine uptake in these cultures was saturable with a K(m) of approximately 560 +/- 60 nm and a DAT turnover rate of 0.74 +/- 0.07 dopamine molecules per second. The effects of physiological changes in membrane voltage on transporter function were assessed by the activation of G-protein-coupled receptors. Current-clamp recordings of dopamine neurons showed that dopamine, baclofen, and orphanin FQ (OFQ) cause varying degrees of hyperpolarization. However, dopamine uptake was not affected by the activation of D(2), GABA(B), or OFQ receptors. Dopamine neurons in culture fired spontaneous action potentials at an average frequency of 2.3 Hz. Thus, dopamine neurons fire approximately three action potentials in the time taken for DAT to go through one transport cycle. Application of tetrodotoxin (1 microm) blocked action potentials but did not alter the uptake of dopamine. These data demonstrate that DAT turnover is a relatively slow process and the rate-limiting step for transport cycle is insensitive to changes in membrane voltage in physiological range.