| Gene Symbol | SLC17A8 |
| Function | SLC17A8 encodes vesicular glutamate transporter 3 (VGLUT3), responsible for packaging glutamate into synaptic vesicles in neurons. |
| Primary Expression | glutamatergic neurons, VGLUT3 has a unique expression pattern in monoaminergic and cholinergic neurons, where it packages glutamate as a cotransmitter |
| Ensembl ID | ENSG00000179520 |
| GeneCards | SLC17A8 |
| Human Protein Atlas | SLC17A8 |
| Preserved Outer Hair Cell Function | Unlike typical sensorineural hearing loss, auditory neuropathy shows normal otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) and preserved cochlear microphonic responses, indicating intact outer hair cell function. |
| Abnormal Neural Responses | Absent or abnormal auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) indicate disrupted neural transmission from the inner hair cell-synapse to the auditory brainstem. |
| Speech Perception Deficits | Despite preserved hair cell function, patients with auditory neuropathy have severe difficulties with speech perception, particularly in noisy environments. |
| Associated Diseases | neurodegeneration |
| Databases | GeneCardsUniProtNCBI GeneHPASTRING |