Taurine-Induced Long-Lasting Enhancement of Synaptic Transmission in Mice: Role of Transporters

• Published in: The Journal of physiology Vol. 550; no. 3; pp. 911 - 919
• Main Authors: Sergeeva, O. A., Chepkova, A. N., Doreulee, N., Eriksson, K. S., Poelchen, W., Mönnighoff, I., Heller‐Stilb, B., Warskulat, U., Häussinger, D., Haas, H. L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK The Physiological Society 01.08.2003; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Blackwell Science Inc
• Subjects: Algorithms; Animals; Brain Chemistry - drug effects; Carrier Proteins - genetics; Carrier Proteins - physiology; Electrophysiology; Female; Genotype; Hippocampus - drug effects; Hippocampus - metabolism; Immunohistochemistry; Male; Membrane Glycoproteins - genetics; Membrane Glycoproteins - physiology; Membrane Transport Proteins; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Neostriatum - drug effects; Neostriatum - metabolism; Neuronal Plasticity - physiology; Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors - pharmacology; Original; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Stimulation, Chemical; Synaptic Transmission - drug effects; Taurine - metabolism; Taurine - pharmacology
• ISSN: 0022-3751; 1469-7793
• DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2003.045864

Taurine, a major osmolyte in the brain evokes a long-lasting enhancement (LLE TAU ) of synaptic transmission in hippocampal and cortico-striatal slices. Hippocampal LLE TAU was abolished by the GABA uptake blocker nipecotic acid (NPA) but not by the taurine-uptake inhibitor guanidinoethyl sulphonate (GES). Striatal LLE TAU was sensitive to GES but not to NPA. Semiquantitative PCR analysis and immunohistochemistry revealed that taurine transporter expression is significantly higher in the striatum than in the hippocampus. Taurine transporter-deficient mice displayed very low taurine levels in both structures and a low ability to develop LLE TAU in the striatum, but not in the hippocampus. The different mechanisms of taurine-induced synaptic plasticity may reflect the different vulnerabilities of these brain regions under pathological conditions that are accompanied by osmotic changes such as hepatic encephalopathy.