Substrate-mediated regulation of γ-aminobutyric acid transporter 1 in rat brain

The uptake of neurotransmitter by plasma membrane transporters is a principal method for regulating extracellular transmitter levels. Neurotransmitter-mediated signals in turn are able to regulate transporter expression and function. Thus, there is a continual interplay between transporters and the transmitters they transport. Previously we showed that extracellular γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) increases the expression of the GABA transporter 1 (GAT1) on a time scale of minutes by acting via the transporter to slow transporter internalization. This mechanism requires in part direct tyrosine phosphorylation of the transporter. In the present study we show that the presence of GABA on a longer time scale causes a net decrease in GAT surface expression. The decrease in expression represents the contributions of transporter-mediated up-regulation and a more substantial GABA-receptor-mediated down-regulation. This receptor-mediated down-regulation is the result of both changes in the rates of transporter trafficking and in the number of transporters available for trafficking. As with transporter-mediated regulation of GAT1, the receptor-mediated regulation is associated with changes in the direct phosphorylation of GAT1. These data suggest that multiple pathways, perhaps converging upon mechanisms involving protein phosphorylation, act to regulate GAT1 expression in neurons.