Identification of The Cell Type Expressing The Glycine Transporter 1 (GLYT1) in The Thalamus
Abstract
Glycine acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter and a co-agonist of NMDAR at the glutamatergic synapses. Termination of glycinergic neurotransmission is achieved by glycine transporter 1 (GlyT1) and glycine transporter (GlyT2). Both transporters are expressed in the spinal cord, brainstem and cerebellum, but GlyT1 is also expressed in the retina and the forebrain. Previous studies have described the role and cyto- architecture of GlyT1 in the caudal areas of the brain and retina, but not in the structures of the forebrain. Based on our preliminary data, GlyT1 is highly expressed in the thalamus, an area involved in sensory and motor signal relay. The function, mechanism and the cell type expressing GlyT1 in this area are poorly studied and deserves to be studied. Preliminary results demonstrate that GlyT1 immunoreactivity is expressed in neurons rather than glial cells. However, the characterization of the neurons expressing GlyT1 remains unknown. Due to the dual phenotype of GABAergic and glycinergic neurons in other regions of the brain, it is hypothesized that the cells expressing GlyT1 in the thalamus are GABAergic. To address this question, we performed conventional immunohistochemistry, fluorescent and viral tracing, and transgenic mice models. Given the expression of GlyT1 in areas of the thalamus, these results suggest a better characterization of the location of GyT1 and suggest that it might have a different role aside the inhibitory role of the caudal structures of the brain. These findings will help understand the glycinergic kinetics and the overall role and function of GlyT1.
Subject Area
Neurosciences|Health sciences|Medicine|Pharmacology|Public health|Physiology
Recommended Citation
Lozano Prado, Patricia Andrea, "Identification of The Cell Type Expressing The Glycine Transporter 1 (GLYT1) in The Thalamus" (2019). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI13887118.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI13887118