Impact of subunit positioning on GABAA receptor function

Sigel, E; Baur, R; Boulineau, N; Minier, F (2006). Impact of subunit positioning on GABAA receptor function. Biochemical Society transactions, 34(Pt 5), pp. 868-71. London: Portland Press

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The major isoforms of the GABAA (gamma-aminobutyric acid type A) receptor are composed of two alpha, two beta and one gamma subunit. Thus alpha and beta subunits occur twice in the receptor pentamer. As it is well documented that different isoforms of alpha and beta subunits can co-exist in the same pentamer, the question is raised whether the relative position of a subunit isoform affects the functional properties of the receptor. We have used subunit concatenation to engineer receptors of well-defined subunit arrangement to study this question. Although all five subunits may be concatenated, we have focused on the combination of triple and dual subunit constructs. We review here what is known so far on receptors containing simultaneously alpha1 and alpha6 subunits and receptors containing beta1 and beta2 subunits. Subunit concatenation may not only be used to study receptors containing two different subunit isoforms, but also to introduce a point mutation into a defined position in receptors containing either two alpha or beta subunits, or to study the receptor architecture of receptors containing unconventional GABAA receptor subunits. Similar approaches may be used to characterize other members of the pentameric ligand-gated ion channel family, including nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, glycine receptors and 5-HT3 (5-hydroxytryptamine) receptors.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > Institute of Pharmacology

UniBE Contributor:

Sigel, Erwin

ISSN:

0300-5127

ISBN:

17052217

Publisher:

Portland Press

Language:

English

Submitter:

Factscience Import

Date Deposited:

04 Oct 2013 14:45

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:14

PubMed ID:

17052217

Web of Science ID:

000242289900051

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/18769 (FactScience: 1007)

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