Developmental expression of the neurotransmitter transporter GAT3

Neurotransmitter transporters are involved in termination of the synaptic neurotransmission and they also play a key role in neuroregulation and brain development. In this report, we describe the developmental distribution of the γ-aminobutyric acid transporter GAT3 which transports γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and β-alanine in a sodium chloride-dependent manner. GAT3 was localized to the meninges in developmental stages where two other GABA transporters, GAT1 and GAT4, were adjacently expressed. In later developmental stages, only GAT3 remained in this area. The expression of GAT3 in the peripheral embryonic tissues was confined to the liver, to a layer of cells under the skin, to the mouse kidney, and to hipoccampal blood vessels only in late developmental stages. The developmental distribution of GAT3 suggests involvement in central nervous system (CNS) maturation.