The high-affinity sodium/myo-inositol cotransporter (SMIT) is involved in osmoregulation
in several cells and tissues. In the CNS the activity of SMIT also determines the
individual susceptibility of neural cells to the inositol depleting effect of lithium,
which is considered to be important in lithium's therapeutic effects in manic-depressive
illness. Among neural cells SMIT is particularly active in astrocytes. In the present
work we have cloned the cDNA of SMIT of the rat and assessed its activity, expression
and regulation in primary astroglia cultures derived from five different rat brain
regions: cerebellum, cortex, diencephalon, hippocampus and tegmentum. After an incubation
period of 24 h in medium containing 3[H]labeled myo-inositol different steady-state
concentrations were detected which were dependent on the brain region from which the
astrocytes were cultured. In addition, myo-inositol uptake in astrocytes from different
areas was characterized by two different Km values (27 microM for cerebellum and diencephalon,
50 microM for cortex, hippocampus and tegmentum) and by three different v(max) values
(approx. 200 pmol/mg protein/min for astrocytes from cerebellum and tegmentum, 298
for hippocampus and 465 for cortex), indicating that the active myo-inositol uptake
into astroglial cells is distinct in the various brain regions. The efficacy of uptake
as determined by v(max) values of 3[H]myo-inositol uptake correlated with the level
of mRNA of SMIT in the astrocyte cultures from the various brain regions as determined
by semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Both
3[H]myo-inositol uptake and SMIT mRNA content was upregulated by incubation of astrocytes
in medium of increased osmolarity. In astrocytes from cerebellum, cortex, hippocampus
and tegmentum 3[H]myo-inositol uptake was downregulated by chronic incubation with
400 microM inositol. This effect was not observed in astrocytes from diencephalon.
Furthermore, in astrocytes from cortex and hippocampus but not from cerebellum, diencephalon
and tegmentum incubation with corticosterone for three days upregulated 3[H]myo-inositol
uptake. It is concluded that SMIT is differentially expressed and regulated in astrocytes
from distinct brain regions. These regional differences suggest particular consideration
of localized effects in investigations of the role of myo-inositol in the mechanism
of action of antibipolar drugs.