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Summary: Vesicular Glutamate Transporters in the
Spinal Cord, with Special Reference to
Sensory Primary Afferent Synapses
FRANCISCO J. ALVAREZ,1* ROSA M. VILLALBA,1
RICARDO ZERDA,1
AND STEPHEN P. SCHNEIDER2
1
Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio 45435
2
Department of Physiology and Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University,
East Lansing, Michigan 48824
ABSTRACT
Spinal cord sensory synapses are glutamatergic, but previous studies have found a great
diversity in synaptic vesicle structure and have suggested additional neurotransmitters. The
identification of several vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUTs) similarly revealed an
unexpected molecular diversity among glutamate-containing terminals. Therefore, we quan-
titatively investigated VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 content in the central synapses of spinal
sensory afferents by using confocal and electron microscopy immunocytochemistry. VGLUT1
localization (most abundant in LIII/LIV and medial LV) is consistent with an origin from
cutaneous and muscle mechanoreceptors. Accordingly, most VGLUT1 immunoreactivity dis-
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