[3H]gamma-Aminobutyric acid uptake into neuroglial cells of rat superior cervical sympathetic ganglia.

1. The influx of [3H]gamma-aminobutyric acid ([3H]GABA) into isolated rat superior cervical ganglia has been measured by radioassay, supplemented by autoradiography. Ganglia were incubated in oxygenated Krebs solution at 25 degrees C, containing 10 microM-amino-oxyacetic acid. Under these conditions more than 95% of accumulated tritium was unmetabolized [3H]GABA. 2. Ganglionic radioactivity increased linearly with incubation time, to yield an intracellular fluid/extracellular fluid concentration ratio (Ci/Co) of about 200 after 6 hr in 0.5 microM-external [3H]GABA. 3. Uptake showed saturation with an apparent transport constant (KT) of 6.8 microM and maximum influx velocity (Jmaxi) of 7 mumole 1. cell fluid-1- min-1. 4. The influx rate at Co = 0.5 microM was unaltered by raising intracellular GABA from 0.2 to 1 mM. 5. Influx velocity increased with temperature (5--35 degrees C) in a monotonic manner with an apparent activation energy of 14 kcal mole-1. 6. Concentrative uptake was depressed by reducing external [Na+] with ouabain, by raising [K+]o above 20 mM, or by removing external Cl-. Uptake was not particularly sensitive to Ca2+ or Mg2+ ions. 7. Utake of [3H]GABA (0.5 microM) was inhibited by beta-guanidinopropionic acid (apparent KI, 28 microM), beta-alanine (KI, 55 microM), gamma-amino-beta-hydroxybutyric acid (KI, 220 microM), beta-amino-n-butyric acid (KI, 708 microM), 3-aminopropanesulphonic acid (KI, 832 microM) and taurine (KI greater than 1 mM). Uptake was not depressed by 1 mM-glycine, alpha-alanine, leucine, serine, methionine or alpha-amino-iso-butyric acid. 8. Radioactively labelled methionine, leucine, glycine, serine, beta-alanine and taurine (concentrations less than or equal to 5 microM) were also taken up by ganglia. Of these, only uptake of beta-alanine and taurine were significantly depressed by 1 mM-GABA. 9. Autoradiographs confirmed that [3H]GABA and [3H] beta-alanine were taken up predominantly into extraneuronal sites (presumed to be neuroglial cells). Methionine, leucine, glycine and serine showed preferential accumulation in neurones. Neuronal uptake of leucine was not prevented by inhibiting protein synthesis. 10. Calculations of net fluxes from unidirectional tracer fluxes suggest that the sympathetic glial cells are capable of promoting net uptake of GABA at external concentrations above 1 microM.