Glycine receptor α3 and α2 subunits mediate tonic and exogenous agonist-induced currents in forebrain
Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: Significance Neuronal inhibition in the CNS occurs via two mechanisms. Synaptic inhibition is transient and localized; extrasynaptic inhibition is continuous and diffuse. Glycine receptor (GlyR)-mediated synaptic inhibition in spinal cord was established decades ago; however, GlyR physiology in higher brain regions remains obscure. We show that functional GlyRs are expressed in forebrain structures and mediate tonic and exogenous glycine-induced currents. Unlike synaptic α1β GlyRs in the spinal cord, forebrain GlyRs are primarily composed of α2 or α3 subunits. We identified distinct roles for these subunits by showing that α3 subunits mediate tonic GlyR currents, whereas α2 subunits mediate exogenously activated GlyR currents. Our findings demonstrate mechanisms of neuronal modulation by glycine in the forebrain due to subunit-specific contributions of GlyRs.
Language: English
Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: Alcohol and inhibition in the prefrontal cortex, G1504593296, G1785564684, G1937166206, Alcohol and Dopamine Release: Cellular and Synaptic Mechanisms, Alcohol Actions-Molecular Targets on Brain Proteins, G55141262, G8271884035, 7/11 Biochemical and Genetic Determinants of Alcohol Consumption
OpenAlex ID: W2742537310