Dopamine Transporter/DAT (E3U7R) Rabbit mAb #24029

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays important roles in the brain, particularly in dopamine pathways that control the motivational component of reward-motivated behavior. These behavioral outputs are generated by the basal ganglia via its interaction with multiple brain areas that modulate sensorimotor, emotional, and cognitive information (1). The spatiotemporal dynamics of dopamine signaling are regulated by the dopamine transporter (DAT), a presynaptic transmembrane protein that drives the reuptake of dopamine released into the synaptic cleft. This process occurs in a sodium- and chloride-dependent manner, with DAT transporting two sodium cations down their concentration gradient, along with one chloride anion and the dopamine substrate. DAT is a member of the neurotransmitter sodium symporter (NSS) family, which also includes serotonin, norepinephrine, glycine, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporters. The NSS family is part of the larger solute carrier 6 (SLC6) family of proteins, which in addition to neurotransmitters, also include transporters of amino acids, osmolytes, and energy metabolites (2-5). Mutations in the DAT gene, SLC6A3, have been linked to Parkinson’s disease (PD), infantile parkinsonism-dystonia (IPD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and bipolar disorder (BP) (5-8). In addition to its role in the brain, DAT is expressed by lymphocytes and monocytes in the periphery, where it modulates immune function. Altered expression levels of DAT in the periphery is also a suggested biomarker for some cancers (9-12).