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GABA may be a neurotransmitter in the vertebrate peripheral nervous system

Nature volume 281, pages 71–74 (1979)Cite this article

Abstract

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the peripheral nervous system of certain invertebrates and is thought to be a major transmitter in the vertebrate central nervous system1–3. In this report we present evidence that GABA may also be a neurotransmitter in the vertebrate peripheral autonomie nervous system. We have used light and electron microscopic autoradiography to analyse high-affinity uptake of 3H-GABA into the myenteric plexus of the guinea pig taenia coli, both in situ and in a tissue culture preparation. In the isolated myenteric plexus, we have measured the specific activity of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD; EC 4.1.1.15), the enzyme responsible for conversion of glutamic acid to GABA in GABAergic neurones4,5, and assessed the ability of this tissue to accumulate 3H-GABA newly synthesised from 3H-glutamic acid. Furthermore, we have measured the levels of endogenous GABA in strips of taenia coli containing the myenteric plexus.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy and Embryology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1, UK

    Kristján R. Jessen, Rhona Mirsky, Marion E. Dennison & Geoffrey Burnstock

  2. MRC Neuroimmunology Project, Department of Zoology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1, UK

    Rhona Mirsky

Authors
  1. Kristján R. Jessen
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  2. Rhona Mirsky
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  3. Marion E. Dennison
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  4. Geoffrey Burnstock
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Jessen, K., Mirsky, R., Dennison, M. et al. GABA may be a neurotransmitter in the vertebrate peripheral nervous system. Nature 281, 71–74 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/281071a0

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