Excitatory amino acid transporter 5 (solute carrier family 1 member 7) (EAAT5 (SLC1A7))

Excitatory amino acid transporter 5 (EAAT5), encoded by SLC1A7, is a member of the solute carrier SLC1 family of excitatory amino acid transporters that mediate high-affinity, Na+- and voltage-dependent uptake of L-glutamate; uniquely, EAAT5 exhibits a prominent glutamate-gated chloride conductance that can function as an inhibitory mechanism in retinal photoreceptors and bipolar cells, suggesting an autoreceptor-like role in visual processing. Although originally described as retina-predominant, subsequent molecular and immunohistochemical studies have reported EAAT5 expression at mRNA and protein levels in multiple non-neural tissues, including liver, kidney, intestine, heart, lung, and skeletal muscle, indicating broader distribution whose functional significance may vary by tissue. EAATs are considered potential therapeutic targets for neurological disorders involving glutamate dysregulation, but the physiological roles of individual subtypes, including EAAT5, and the development of selective pharmacological modulators remain limited.

Other names

EAAT5Solute carrier family 1 member 7SLC1A7Retinal glutamate transporter coupled to a chloride conductance

Putative EAAT5-targeted drugs would modulate glutamate transport and/or glutamate-gated chloride conductance, thereby influencing synaptic glutamate levels and inhibitory chloride currents, with expected effects on neuronal excitability and retinal signaling. Class-level strategies include transporter enhancement (upregulation/positive allosteric modulation) or inhibition; translation to EAAT5 remains to be defined due to lack of selective ligands.