Work

Functional domains of GABAA receptors

Year: 1995

Type: review

Abstract: The transmitter-gated ion channels mediate rapid synaptic transmission, for example, at the neuromuscular junction using acetylcholine and in the CNS using primarily the amino acids glutamate and GABA. GABAA-receptor Cl- channels share sequence homology with a superfamily of these channels including nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and inhibitory glycine receptor. In this article, Geoffrey Smith and Richard Olsen discuss recent affinity labelling and site-directed mutagenesis studies on GABAA receptors that have identified amino acid residues essential for binding of agonists and allosteric modulators as well as the ion channel wall formation. The structural domains identified are consistent with results obtained with other members of the transmitter-gated ion channel superfamily and suggest that structural models for one member of the family may apply to the others as well.

Source: Trends in Pharmacological Sciences

DOI: 10.1016/s0165-6147(00)89009-4

Authors: Geoffrey B. Smith, Richard W. Olsen

Institutions: Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University, University of California, Los Angeles

Language: English

Topic: Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research

Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $7,030

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke