Table 2

Some of the γ-aminobutyric acidA receptor subtypes in specified rat neurons2-a

NeuronsSubunitsPossible subtypes
Olfactory bulb
 Mitral cellsα1 α3 β2 γ2
 Granule cellsα2 β3 γ2 A2a3
α5 β3 γ2 A5a3
 Short-axon cellsα1 β2 γ2 A1a2
 Periglomerular cellsα2 α5 δ
Hippocampus
 Pyramidal cellsα2 β3 γ2 A2a3
α5 β3 γ2 A5a3
 Dentate gyrus granule cellsα2 β3 γ2 A2a3
 Most interneuronsα1 β2 γ2 A1a2
Thalamus
 Relay neuronsα1 β2 γ2 δ
 Reticular nucleus neuronsα3 γ2
Hypothalamus
 Supraoptic nucleusα1 α2 β2,3 γ2
 Ventromedial, arcuate nucleiα2 β3 γ2 A2a3
α5 β3 γ2 A5a3
Cerebellum
 Purkinje cellsα1 β2,3 γ2 A1a2
 Granule cellsα1 α6 β2,3 γ2 δA6a2,A16a2,A06
 Golgi type II cellsα1 α3 γ2
Motoneurons
 (Cranial nerve nuclei)
 Facial motor nucleus
 Hypoglossal nucleusα1 α2 γ2
 Trigeminal motor nucleus
 Ambiguus nucleusα2 γ2
  • 2-a Co-expressed subunits were visualized immunohistochemically at the cellular level. The subunits analyzed here are α1, α2, α3, α5, α6, β2, β3, γ2, and δ (where the anti-β2 antibody used does not distinguish between β2 and β3, “β2,3” is noted). In each combination the subunits of that set not detected are not indicated. Where multiple isoforms of α or β co-occur, they are not necessarily combined in one receptor molecule; for all the subunits, the co-occurrences shown are within a cell not necessarily within a molecule, and sometimes are within a cell type. [The localizations are from Mohler et al. (1996b)].