VAChT (vesicular acetylcholine transporter)

Acetylcholine transporter in the membrane of synaptic vesicles

General Information

The vesicular acetylcholine transporter VAChT is an integral membrane protein with 12 putative trans-membrane domains. VAChT and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) are encoded by genes organized in a single gene locus, and coregulation of the two genes has been reported several times.
VAChT translocates acetylcholine from the cytoplasm into synaptic vesicles where it stays until release. After release from the presynaptic nerve terminal acetylcholine is hydrolyzed by acetylcholine esterase. During Alzheimer´s disease acetylcholine is one of the first neurotransmitters to be reduced.