Molecular analysis of vesicular amine transporter function and targeting to secretory organelles

Vesicular transporters are responsible for the loading of neurotransmitters into specialized secretory organelles in neurons and neuroendocrine cells to make them available for regulated neurosecretion. The exocytotic release of neurotransmitter therefore depends on the functional activity of the ve sicular transporters and their efficient sorting to these secretory organel les. Molecular analysis of vesicular transport proteins has revealed import ant information regarding structural domains responsible for their function al properties, including substrate specificity and trafficking to various c lasses of secretory vesicles. These studies have established the existence of an important functional relationship between transporter activity and pr esynaptic quantal neurosecretion.