Vesicular Acetylcholine Transporter (VAChT), (70kD protein), belongs to the family of vesicular monoamine transporters(VMATs), which include VMAT1 and VMAT2 and the C.elegans putative ACh transporter unc-17. Members of this family function to concentrate neurotransmitters into synaptic vesicles through exchange of protons for neurotransmitters. VAChT is a functional transporter for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine(ACh). ACh is synthesized in the cytoplasm by choline acetyl transferase (ChAT) and transported by VAChT into synaptic vesicles where it is stored until released. After release from presynaptic nerve terminals ACh is hydrolyzed by extracellular ACh-esterases(AChE) to choline and acetate.
VAChT mRNA is expressed in all known major cholinergic neurons in the central and peripheral nervous system. VAChT is abundantly expressed in the CNS and is mainly localized in small synaptic vesicles in cholinergic nerve terminals. VAChT provides a specific marker for cholinergic neurons for the study of cholinergic transmission in experimental models, in Alzheimer’s disease and other nervous system disorders.