Search

Vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT) is responsible for the active transport of l-glutamate in synaptic vesicles and thus plays an essential role in the glutamatergic chemical transmission in the central nervous system. VGLUT comprises three isoforms, VGLUT1, 2, and 3, and is a potential marker for the glutamatergic phenotype. Recent studies indicated that VGLUT is also expressed in non-neuronal cells, and localized with various organelles such as synaptic-like microvesicles in the pineal gland, and hormone-containing secretory granules in endocrine cells. l-Glutamate is stored in these organelles, secreted upon various forms of stimulation, and then acts as a paracrine-like modulator. Thus, VGLUTs highlight a novel framework of glutamatergic signaling and reveal its diverse modes of action. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Riboflavin or vitamin B2 is one of the constituents of energy drinks. Although this compound is known to be absorbed in the intestine and that it circulates throughout the body and is excreted in urine, the transporter(s) responsible for the process was only recently identified. Yamamoto et al. identified this transporter through functional expression of rat orthologues of a putative bacterial riboflavin transporter. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents a study cycloprodigiosin hydrochloride (cPrG-HCI) and its function in suppressing cell death in PC12 cells caused by protein synthesis inhibitors cycloheximide and actinomycin. It states that Wortmannin, which is phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor, and dominant-negative Ras weakened the anti-apoptotic activity of cPrG-HCI, indicating that cPrG-HCI activated the Ras-PI3K-Akt pathway suppressing apoptosis.