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Abstract
Neurotransmission, which represents chemical signalling between neurons, usually takes
place at highly differentiated anatomical structures called synapses. To fulfill both
the time and space confinements required for optimal neurotransmission, highly specialized
proteins, known as transporters or uptake sites, occur and operate at the presynaptic
plasma membrane. Using the energy provided by the Na+ gradient generated by the Na+/K(+)-transporting
ATPase, these transporters reuptake the neurotransmitters soon after their release,
thereby regulating their effective concentrations at the synaptic cleft and the availability
of neurotransmitters for a time-dependent activation of both pre- and postsynaptic
receptors. The key role these proteins play in normal neurotransmission is further
emphasized when the physiological and social consequences of drugs that interfere
with the function of these transporters, such as the psychostimulants (e.g. amphetamine
and cocaine) or the widely prescribed antidepressant drugs, are considered. In this
review, Bruno Giros and Marc Caron elaborate on the potential consequences of the
recent molecular cloning of the dopamine and related transporters and summarize some
of the interesting properties that are emerging from this growing family of Na(+)-
and Cl(-)-dependent transporters.