The Taurine Transporter Eaat2 Functions in Ensheathing Glia to Modulate Sleep and Metabolic Rate (Current Biology)

Stahl, Peco, et al. show that Excitatory amino acid transporter 2 (Eaat2) promotes wakefulness and metabolic rate in fruit flies. Eaat2 operates in ensheathing glia and can transport taurine across cell membranes, revealing a new mechanism for how glial transporters may influence neural circuits in the brain controlling sleep-wake regulation.