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No occurrence of the glutamate transporter EAAT2 A206G polymorphism in schizophrenic subjects

Molecular Psychiatry volume 7, pages 671–672 (2002)Cite this article

SIR – Glutamate is the most important excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain. However, glutamate can also act as a neurotoxin, and its uptake and metabolization is of critical importance. Five types of high-affinity glutamate transporters (ie GLT1, EAAC1, GLAST, EAAT4 and EAAT5) have been cloned since 1992. They regulate levels of extracellular glutamate in the central nervous system and differ both in their expression and uptake ability.1 Evidence suggests that the reuptake of synaptically released glutamate is much more efficient within astrocytes than within neurons.2 In fact, while EAAC1 and EAAT4 are expressed in neurons, the greatest part of glutamate uptake in the brain is carried out by two astroglial transporters GLT1 and GLAST (EAAT2 and EAAT1 in humans, respectively).1

Recent studies have suggested that abnormalities and dysfunction in the uptake and metabolism of glutamate could be involved in some neuropsychiatric disorders. In particular, defective glutamate transport may play a critical role in the neurotoxicity associated with ischaemia, epilepsy, neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer's disease (AD).3 On the other hand, an excessive uptake, leading to a relative glutamatergic hypofunction, is suspected to be involved in psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia. Very recent findings, both pharmacological and molecular, seem to support this hypothesis, as well as the possible candidate role for the gene encoding EAAT2.4,5

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References

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  6. Aoki M et al. Ann Neurol 1998; 43: 645–653

  7. Pines G et al. Nature 1992; 360: 464–467

  8. Martinez-Maza R et al. J Biol Chem 2001; 276: 2168–2173

  9. Liu Y et al. Biochim Biophys Acta 1998; 1415: 246–254

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IRCCS H San Raffaele, DSNP, Milan, Italy

    M Catalano & C Lorenzi

  2. IRCCS San Giovanni di Dio, FBF, Brescia, Italy

    L Bocchio & G Racagni

  3. Center of Neuropharmacology, Dept of Pharmacological Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

    G Racagni

Authors
  1. M Catalano
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  2. C Lorenzi
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  3. L Bocchio
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  4. G Racagni
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Correspondence to M Catalano.

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Catalano, M., Lorenzi, C., Bocchio, L. et al. No occurrence of the glutamate transporter EAAT2 A206G polymorphism in schizophrenic subjects. Mol Psychiatry 7, 671–672 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001055

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