# Regulation of Dopamine Transporter by Trafficking

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2021 · $385,678

## Abstract

Dopaminergic neurons control aspects of mood, cognition and movement, and are involved in the
pathogenesis of a variety of brain disorders including drug addiction. A central regulator of dopaminergic
neurotransmission is the dopamine (DA) transporter (DAT) that is expressed exclusively in dopaminergic
neurons and is responsible for clearance of extracellular DA. Psychostimulants such as amphetamines and
cocaine elicit dramatic behavioral phenotypes primarily by targeting DAT directly and increasing extracellular
DA concentration. DA neurons are functionally heterogeneous and morphologically complex, with spatially
separated somatodendritic and axonal domains, and dense axonal arborizations. Proper DAT distribution in
the DA neuron is critical for the function of the dopaminergic system in its normal and diseased states.
The principal goal of this proposal is to elucidate mechanisms by which the DAT-mediated substrate re-
uptake is regulated in DA neurons by endocytosis, long-distance intraneuronal trafficking and membrane
diffusion. We have developed and characterized a knock-in mouse that expresses an extracellular epitope
(HA)-tagged DAT (HA-DAT). In this mice we used a combination of quantitative electron microscopy of intact
brain and acute sagittal brain slices, a novel physiological ex vivo model of the intact DA neuron, to
demonstrate distinct patterns of DAT trafficking in different regions of DA neurons. Using mechanistic analysis
in cultured cells, we have identified molecular determinants in the DAT that are involved in its targeting to
filopodia and its mobility in the plasma membrane, and novel sequence motifs that are important for
constitutive and signal-induced DAT endocytosis. We propose that since intraneuronal distribution of DAT is
regulated by the balance of vesicular traffic, cell surface retention and membrane mobility of DAT, these
processes must be controlled differently by intracellular signaling in somatodendritic and axonal domains of
neurons and in different areas of the striatum and midbrain. To test these hypotheses, we will: 1) Define
kinetics and mechanisms of long-distance DAT trafficking between spatially separated axonal and
somatodendritic domains of DA neurons; 2) Define routes, kinetics, and mechanisms of constitutive and signal-
induced endocytosis of DAT in DA neurons; 3) Test whether brain region- and signal-specific DAT trafficking
affects DAT substrate transport kinetics. Defining mechanisms of DAT regulation by trafficking in intact DA
neurons will significantly advance our understanding of the cell biology and physiology of the DA system, and
may suggest potential therapeutic options for treatment of DA pathologies such as drug addiction.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10197047
- **Project number:** 5R01DA014204-19
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** ALEXANDER D SORKIN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $385,678
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2001-09-15 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10197047

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10197047, Regulation of Dopamine Transporter by Trafficking (5R01DA014204-19). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10197047. Licensed CC0.

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