The use of LeuT as a model in elucidating binding sites for substrates and inhibitors in neurotransmitter transporters

Structure and functional aspects of NSS proteins are central for understanding synaptic transmission. With the purification and crystallization of LeuT as well as the dopamine transporter from Drosophila melanogaster, the application of biophysical methods such as fluorescence spectroscopy, neutron- or x-ray scattering and NMR for understanding its function becomes increasingly available. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Structural biochemistry and biophysics of membrane proteins.