ABSTRACT Noradrenaline and dopamine transporters are involved in the uptake of the corresponding neurotransmitter and represent the target of major psychostimulant drugs. Analysis of their amino acid sequences indicate that they are membrane proteins containing twelve hydrophobic segments. We have investigated the distribution of noradrenaline and dopamine transporters in mouse brain by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays, where DNA fragments encoding amino acid sequences from their amino terminal regions have been isolated and sequenced. We have also identified both transporters proteins by Western blotting assays, performed with specific polyclonal antibodies obtained against a peptide and a fusion protein from their amino terminal regions. Our results indicate that both proteins are widely distributed throughout the mouse brain.
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