Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Transporter 1 (gAT1)

The SLC6A1 gene encodes a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporter, which removes GABA from the synaptic cleft. Nelson et al. (1990) cloned and sequenced a cDNA clone encoding the transporter for the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid in human brain. The cDNA contained an open reading frame encoding a hydrophobic protein of 599 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 67,022 daltons. Hydropathy analysis showed 12 potential transmembrane segments. The human protein is highly homologous to that from rat brain. Northern hybridization demonstrated a ubiquitous distribution of the transporter in various parts of the brain. This gene, symbolized GABATHG by them, was also cloned and sequenced by Lam et al. (1993).