EAAT

Excitatory amino acid transporters or EAATs are the major transport mechanism for extracellular glutamate in the nervous system. This family of five carriers (EAAT1-5 ) not only displays an impressive ability to regulate ambient extracellular glu concentrations but also regulate the temporal and spatial profile of glu after vesicular release. This dynamic form of regulation mediates several characteristic of synaptic, perisynaptic, and spillover activation of ionotropic and metabotropic receptors. EAATs function through a secondary active, electrogenic process but also possess a thermodynamically uncoupled ligand gated anion channel activity, both of which have been demonstrated to play a role in regulation of cellular activity.

The glial glutamate transporter EAAT2 plays a major role in glutamate clearance. EAAT2 can be upregulated by transcriptional or translational activation.EAAT2 is a potential target for the prevention of excitotoxicity.