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Glutamate and ATP: The Crossroads of Signaling and Metabolism in the Brain

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Glutamate and ATP at the Interface of Metabolism and Signaling in the Brain

Part of the book series: Advances in Neurobiology ((NEUROBIOL,volume 11))

Abstract

ATP and glutamate have emerged as highly versatile molecules for cellular metabolism and intercellular communication in the brain. Their metabolic and signaling pathways are interlaced. We concisely outline the synthesis and metabolism of these precious molecules, as well as their use as neurotransmitters in autocrine, paracrine, and heterocellular signaling. Functional diversity of this glutamatergic and purinergic signaling is defined by an expression of a multitude of receptors on neurons and glial cells alike. Both ATP and glutamate play a role in neuropathology. This chapter is meant to introduce the chapters that follow in this book dedicated to the in-depth overview of the role of glutamate and ATP in the brain metabolism and signaling in health and disease.

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Acknowledgments

Authors’ research was supported by Alzheimer’s Research Trust (UK) Programme Grant (ART/PG2004A/1) to A.V. and by the National Institutes of Health (The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development award HD078678) to V.P.

Conflict of Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Life Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Manchester, 1.124 Stopford Building, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK

    Alexei Verkhratsky M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc.

  2. Achucarro Center for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48011, Bilbao, Spain

    Alexei Verkhratsky M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc.

  3. Department of Neurosciences, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, 48940, Leioa, Spain

    Alexei Verkhratsky M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc.

  4. Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Arne Schousboe

  5. Department of Neurobiology, Center for Glial Biology in Medicine, Atomic Force Microscopy & Nanotechnology Laboratories, Civitan International Research Center, Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1719 6th Avenue South, CIRC 429, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA

    Vladimir Parpura M.D., Ph.D.

  6. Department of Biotechnology, University or Rijeka, Radmile Matejčić 2, 51000, Rijeka, Croatia

    Vladimir Parpura M.D., Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Alexei Verkhratsky M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc.
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  2. Arne Schousboe
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  3. Vladimir Parpura M.D., Ph.D.
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Alexei Verkhratsky M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc. , Arne Schousboe or Vladimir Parpura M.D., Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurobiology CIRC 429, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, USA

    Vladimir Parpura

  2. Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Arne Schousboe

  3. Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom

    Alexei Verkhratsky

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Verkhratsky, A., Schousboe, A., Parpura, V. (2014). Glutamate and ATP: The Crossroads of Signaling and Metabolism in the Brain. In: Parpura, V., Schousboe, A., Verkhratsky, A. (eds) Glutamate and ATP at the Interface of Metabolism and Signaling in the Brain. Advances in Neurobiology, vol 11. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08894-5_1

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