Islets of Langerhans contain ␥-aminobutyrate (GABA) and may use it as an intercellular transmitter. In -cells, GABA is stored in synaptic-like microvesicles and secreted through Ca 2؉ -dependent exocytosis. Vesicular inhibitory amino acid transporter (VIAAT), which is responsible for the storage of GABA and glycine in neuronal synaptic vesicles, is believed to be responsible for the storage and secretion of GABA in -cells. . Islets of Langerhans contain GABA, the enzymes that catalyze its biosynthesis (GAD) and metabolism (GABA transaminase), and GABA receptors at concentrations comparable with levels in the central nervous system (3-7). In particular, -cells contain a much higher concentration of GABA than other types of islet cells. In -cells, GABA is stored in synaptic-like microvesicles (SLMVs), endocrine counterparts of neuronal synaptic vesicles, but not in insulin granules (8). ATP-dependent vesicular GABA transport activity has been detected in isolated SLMVs (9). Furthermore, -cells and MIN6 cells (clonal -cells) secrete GABA through Ca 2ϩ -dependent and -independent pathways (10 -14). Exogenous GABA has been shown to inhibit glucagon secretion by way of GABAA receptors on ␣-cells (15-17). These results indicate that -cells are the major sites of GABA signal appearance in the islets and that GABA functions as a paracrine-like intercellular chemical transmitter that regulates islet function.Vesicular inhibitory amino acid transporter (VIAAT) is responsible for the storage of GABA and glycine in synaptic vesicles through active transport at the expense of ATP hydrolysis by a vacuolar proton pump (18,19). The cDNA encoding VIAAT has been cloned, and its primary amino acid sequence has been determined (19). Because VIAAT is a potential probe for GABA signal appearance in neurons, it can be supposed that islet cells, especially -cells, express VIAAT. Very recently, it was found that islet cells actually contain VIAAT (20). Unexpectedly, however, immunohistochemical evidence obtained with antibodies against either the COOH-terminal or NH 2 -terminal region of VIAAT indicated that VIAAT immunoreactivity is predominantly present in nonϪ-cells and probably ␣-cells, although the precise localization of VIAAT at the cellular or subcellular level has not yet been determined (20).L-glutamate may also function as an intercellular messenger in the islets of Langerhans (21). We have shown that vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT), which is responsible for the vesicular storage of L-glutamate and thus a potential probe for L-glutamate signal appearance, is expressed in ␣-cells and is specifically associated with GABA, ␥-aminobutyrate; SLMV, synaptic-like microvesicle; VGLUT, vesicular glutamate transporter; VIAAT, vesicular inhibitory amino acid transporter.