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Sci. STKE, 8 February 2005
Vol. 2005, Issue 270, p. pe5
[DOI: 10.1126/stke.2702005pe5]

PERSPECTIVES

Alpha Subunit Position and GABA Receptor Function

David R. Burt*

Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.

Summary: GABAA ({gamma}-aminobutyric acid type A) receptors are ligand-gated ion channels composed of five subunits, generally two {alpha}s, two ßs, and a {gamma}2. Recent research in which sets of subunits containing {alpha}1 or {alpha}6 subunits were artificially linked has revealed the importance of subunit position in determining GABAA receptor function. Sensitivity to benzodiazepines depended on juxtaposition of an {alpha}1 subunit with the {gamma}2 subunit, whereas sensitivity to furosemide depended only on the presence of an {alpha}6 subunit and not on its specific location. The major utility of the linked subunit approach is to provide a mechanism for discovering the functional signatures of defined subunit arrangements, and thus a route to identifying such arrangements in vivo.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: dburt{at}umaryland.edu

Citation: D. R. Burt, Alpha Subunit Position and GABA Receptor Function. Sci. STKE 2005, pe5 (2005).

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