Norepinephrine transporter

The norepinephrine transporter (NET) is a membrane protein that clears norepinephrine from synapses by transporting it into nerve cells. It also transports dopamine in some brain regions.

Solute carrier family 6: A family of membrane proteins that transport neurotransmitters and related solutes using ion gradients. NET belongs to this transporter family and uses sodium and chloride gradients to move norepinephrine.
Atomoxetine: A medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder that selectively inhibits the norepinephrine transporter. Its therapeutic action depends on blocking NET and increasing extracellular norepinephrine.
Plasma membrane: The selectively permeable boundary surrounding a cell, formed mainly from lipids and proteins. NET is embedded in the plasma membrane of noradrenergic nerve terminals.
Julius Axelrod: An American biochemist who studied catecholamine metabolism and won the 1970 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Axelrod’s work on norepinephrine inactivation helped establish reuptake as a key clearance mechanism.
Norepinephrine: A catecholamine that acts as a neurotransmitter and hormone, supporting alertness and regulating cardiovascular responses. NET recognizes norepinephrine as its principal substrate and removes it from synapses.
Desipramine: A tricyclic antidepressant that inhibits norepinephrine and, less strongly, serotonin reuptake. Desipramine’s strong NET inhibition illustrates how transporter blockade can alter mood-related signaling.
Sympathetic nervous system: The branch of the autonomic nervous system that mobilizes the body for action. NET clears norepinephrine released by sympathetic neurons as well as by brain neurons.
Norepinephrine reuptake: The return of released norepinephrine into nerve cells through membrane transporters. Physiological studies of this process motivated the identification of NET as its molecular machinery.
Reuptake: The retrieval of released signaling molecules from extracellular space into cells. NET performs reuptake, terminating much norepinephrine signaling through presynaptic clearance.
Serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor: A class of antidepressants that inhibits both serotonin and norepinephrine transporters. SNRIs raise extracellular norepinephrine partly by inhibiting NET.

Linked from 15 pages