GABAA Receptor Function (gabaa + receptor_function)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


GluR- and TrkB-mediated maturation of GABAA receptor function during the period of eye opening

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 2 2005
Christian Henneberger
Abstract Synapse maturation includes the shortening of postsynaptic currents, due to changes in the subunit composition of respective transmitter receptors. Patch clamp experiments revealed that GABAergic inhibitory postsynaptic currents (ISPCs) of superior colliculus neurons significantly shorten from postnatal day (P)1 to P21. The change started after P6 and was steepest between P12 and P15, i.e. around eye opening. It was accompanied by enhanced sensitivity to zolpidem and increased expression of GABAAR ,1 mRNA, whereas the level of ,3 mRNA decreased. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that the IPSC kinetics of developing collicular neurons is determined by the level of ,1/,3. As ,1/,3 peaked when N -methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)-mediated synaptic currents reached their maximum (P12) it was asked whether NMDAR activity can shape the kinetics of GABAergic IPSCs. Cultured collicular neurons were treated with NMDA or NMDAR block, and it was found that the former resulted in faster and the latter in slower IPSC decay. Group I mGluR blockade had no effect. Experiments with bdnf,/, mice revealed that, with some delay, the increase of ,1/,3 mRNA also occurred in the chronic absence of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and, again, this was accompanied by the shortening of IPSCs. In addition, there was an age-dependent depression of IPSC amplitudes by endogenous BDNF, which might reflect the developmental increase in the expression of GABAAR ,2L, as opposed to ,2S. Together, these experiments suggest that the GABAAR , subunit switch and the associated change in the IPSC kinetics were specifically controlled by NMDAR activity and independent on the signalling through group I mGluRs or TrkB. [source]


GABAA receptor associated proteins: a key factor regulating GABAA receptor function

JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2007
Zi-Wei Chen
Abstract ,-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), an important inhibitory neurotransmitter in both vertebrates and invertebrates, acts on GABA receptors that are ubiquitously expressed in the CNS. GABAA receptors also represent a major site of action of clinically relevant drugs, such as benzodiazepines, barbiturates, ethanol, and general anesthetics. It has been shown that the intracellular M3-M4 loop of GABAA receptors plays an important role in regulating GABAA receptor function. Therefore, studies of the function of receptor intracellular loop associated proteins become important for understanding mechanisms of regulating receptor activity. Recently, several labs have used the yeast two-hybrid assay to identify proteins interacting with GABAA receptors, for example, the interaction of GABAA receptor associated protein (GABARAP) and Golgi-specific DHHC zinc finger protein (GODZ) with , subunits, PRIP, phospholipase C-related, catalytically inactive proteins (PRIP-1) and (PRIP-2) with GABARAP and receptor ,2 and , subunits, Plic-1 with some , and , subunits, radixin with the ,5 subunit, HAP1 with the ,1 subunit, GABAA receptor interacting factor-1 (GRIF-1) with the ,2 subunit, and brefeldin A-inhibited GDP/GTP exchange factor 2 (BIG2) with the ,3 subunit. These proteins have been shown to play important roles in modulating the activities of GABAA receptors ranging from enhancing trafficking, to stabilizing surface and internalized receptors, to regulating modification of GABAA receptors. This article reviews the current studies of GABAA receptor intracellular loop-associated proteins. [source]


1-Methyl-4-phenylpridinium (MPP+)-induced functional run-down of GABAA receptor-mediated currents in acutely dissociated dopaminergic neurons

JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY, Issue 1 2002
Jie Wu
Abstract We have evaluated GABAA receptor function during treatment of 1-methyl-4-phenylpridinium (MPP+) using patch-clamp perforated whole-cell recording techniques in acutely dissociated dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons from rat substantia nigra compacta (SNc). ,-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate or glycine induced inward currents (IGABA, IGlu, IGly) at a holding potential (VH) of ,45 mV. The IGABA was reversibly blocked by the GABAA receptor antagonist, bicuculline, suggesting that IGABA is mediated through the activation of GABAA receptors. During extracellular perfusion of MPP+ (1,10 ,m), IGABA, but neither IGlu nor IGly, declined (termed run-down) with repetitive agonist applications, indicating that the MPP+ -induced IGABA run-down occurred earlier than IGly or IGlu under our experimental conditions. The MPP+ -induced IGABA run-down can be prevented by a DA transporter inhibitor, mazindol, and can be mimicked by a metabolic inhibitor, rotenone. Using conventional whole-cell recording with different concentrations of ATP in the pipette solution, IGABA run-down can be induced by decreasing intracellular ATP concentrations, or prevented by supplying intracellular ATP, indicating that IGABA run-down is dependent on intracellular ATP concentrations. A GABAA receptor positive modulator, pentobarbital (PB), potentiated the declined IGABA and eliminated IGABA run-down. Corresponding to these patch-clamp data, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunohistochemical staining showed that TH-positive cell loss was protected by PB during MPP+ perfusion. It is concluded that extracellular perfusion of MPP+ induces a functional run-down of GABAA receptors, which may cause an imbalance of excitation and inhibition of DAergic neurons. [source]