Characterization of the transporterB(0)AT3 (Slc6a17) in the rodent central nervous system

BACKGROUND: The vesicular B(0)AT3 transporter (SLC6A17), one of the members of the SLC6 family, is a transporter for neutral amino acids and is exclusively expressed in brain. Here we provide a comprehensive expression profile of B(0)AT3 in mouse brain using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: We confirmed previous expression data from rat brain and used a novel custom made antibody to obtain detailed co-labelling with several cell type specific markers. B(0)AT3 was highly expressed in both inhibitory and excitatory neurons. The B(0)AT3 expression was highly overlapping with those of vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2) and vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGLUT1). We also show here that Slc6a17mRNA is up-regulated in animals subjected to short term food deprivation as well as animals treated with the serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine and the dopamine/noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor bupropion. CONCLUSIONS: This suggests that the B(0)AT3 transporter have a role in regulation of monoaminergic as well as glutamatergic synapses.