Release of Glutamate, Aspartate, and γ‐Aminobutyric Acid from Isolated Nerve Terminals

Abstract: With the advent of cloning, sequencing, and patchclamping techniques, knowledge of the postsynaptic actions of amino acid neurotransmitters has undergone a dramatic advance. The primary sequences of the inhibitory receptors for γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) (Schofield et al., 1987) and glycine (Grenningloh et al., 1987) are now established, and patch‐clamp analysis has elucidated many of the factors that regulate the opening of their ion channels. The excitatory glutamate receptors are being extensively characterized at both the pharmacological (reviewed by Foster and Fagg, 1984) and the electrophysiological (reviewed by Cull‐Candy and Usowicz, 1987) level. In this climate, it is perhaps surprising that the fundamental presynaptic release mechanism for the amino acid neurotransmitters remains controversial.