Localization of the sites of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) uptake in lobster nerve-muscle preparations.

The principal sites of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) uptake in lobster nerve-muscle preparations have been determined with radioautographic techniques after binding of the amino acid to proteins by aldehyde fixation. Semiquantitative studies showed that about 30% of the radioactive GABA taken into the tissue was bound to protein by fixation. Both light and electron micrographs showed dense accumulations of label over Schwann and connective tissue cell cytoplasm; muscle was lightly labeled, but axons and terminals were almost devoid of label. The possible role of Schwann and connective tissue cells in the inactivation of GABA released from inhibitory axons is discussed.