Estimating the glutamate transporter surface density in distinct sub-cellular compartments of mouse hippocampal astrocytes

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009845
• Publication Date: 2022-02-04T18:40:07Z
• Authors: Anca R. Rǎdulescu; Gabrielle C. Todd; Cassandra L. Will...; Benjamin A. Bennink; Alex A. Lemus; Haley E. Chesbro; Justin R. Bourgeois; Ashley M. Kopec; Damian G. Zuloaga; Annalisa Scimemi
• Keywords: Glutamate aspartate transporter; Excitotoxicity; Synaptic cleft

Glutamate transporters preserve the spatial specificity of synaptic transmission by limiting glutamate diffusion away from cleft, and prevent excitotoxicity keeping extracellular concentration at low nanomolar levels. are abundantly expressed in astrocytes, previous estimates have been obtained about their surface expression astrocytes rat hippocampus cerebellum. Analogous for mouse currently not available. In this work, we derive density astrocytic mice different ages via quantitative dot blot. We find that glial is similar 7-8 week old rats. mice, levels increase until 6 months age then begin to decline slowly. Our data, a combination experimental modeling approaches, point existence stark differences across sub-cellular compartments, indicating extent which limit extrasynaptic depends only on level coverage, but also identity astrocyte compartment contact with synapse. Together, these findings provide information how heterogeneity distribution plasma membrane hippocampal my alter receptor activation out cleft.