Species Human Entrez 6505 | Human Mouse Ensembl ENSG00000106688 | |
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Aliases SLC1A1, EAAC1, EAAT3, SCZD18, DCBXA, solute carrier family 1 member 1 External IDs MGI: 105083 HomoloGene: 20881 GeneCards: SLC1A1 | ||
SLC1A1, also known as excitatory amino-acid transporter 3 (EAAT3), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SLC1A1 gene.
Contents
Function
Excitatory amino-acid transporter 3 is a member of the high-affinity glutamate transporters which plays an essential role in transporting glutamate across plasma membranes in neurons. In the brain, excitatory amino acid transporters are crucial in terminating the postsynaptic action of the neurotransmitter glutamate, and in maintaining extracellular glutamate concentrations below neurotoxic levels. EAAT3 also transports aspartate, and mutations in this gene are thought to cause dicarboxylic aminoaciduria, also known as glutamate-aspartate transport defect. EAA3 is also the major route of neuronal cysteine uptake. Cysteine is a component of the major antioxidant glutathione, and mice lacking EAAT3 exhibit reduced levels of glutathione in neurons, increased oxidative stress, and age-dependent loss of neurons, especially neurons of the substania nigra.
Interactions
SLC1A1 has been shown to interact with ARL6IP5.