Elsevier

Neuroscience Letters

Volume 202, Issue 3, 5 January 1996, Pages 149-152
Neuroscience Letters

Region-specific changes in GABAA receptor δ subunit mRNA level by tolerance to and withdrawal from pentobarbital

https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3940(95)12227-3Get rights and content

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the mRNA level of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptor δ subunit could be altered by chronic pentobarbital treatment. Male ICR mice were rendered tolerant to and dependent upon pentobarbital by repeated pentobarbital administration and by abrupt pentobarbital withdrawal, respectively. The levels of the δ subunit mRNA in the frontal cortex and cerebellum were quantified using RNase protection assay in the presence of the housekeeping gene, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, as an internal standard. Our results revealed that the δ subunit mRNA in the cerebellum was upregulated in pentobarbital-tolerant mice and was downregulated in pentobarbital-withdrawn mice. No significant changes were found in the frontal cortex. These results suggest that chronic pentobarbital exposure can modify the expression of GABAA receptor δ subunit in a region-specific manner.

References (9)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (15)

  • Mechanisms of action of antiseizure drugs

    2012, Handbook of Clinical Neurology
    Citation Excerpt :

    GABA may act as a partial agonist at extrasynaptic δ-subunit-containing GABAA receptor isoforms that mediate tonic inhibition, which may render them particularly sensitive to allosteric modulation by barbiturates (Feng et al., 2004). Interestingly, chronic treatment with barbiturates causes an increase in GABAA receptor δ subunit mRNA; withdrawal results in downregulation (Lin and Wang, 1996). Thus, the relative activity of barbiturates on synaptic and extrasynaptic GABAA receptors may vary with drug exposure.

  • AMPA/kainate receptor-mediated up-regulation of GABA<inf>A</inf> receptor δ subunit mRNA expression in cultured rat cerebellar granule cells is dependent on NMDA receptor activation

    2006, Brain Research
    Citation Excerpt :

    However, in the study of Kim et al., δ mRNA was slightly (15%) up-regulated by MK-801 treatment in cerebellar granule cell layer. Furthermore, up-regulation of δ mRNA expression in the cerebellum by tolerance to pentobarbital, and down-regulation by withdrawal from it have been reported (Lin and Wang, 1996), suggesting that increase in neuronal activity does not necessarily increase δ mRNA expression. In conclusion, prolonged activation of various classes of GluRs causing depolarization up-regulates GABAAR δ subunit mRNA expression in rat CGCs in culture.

  • An update on GABA(A) receptors

    1999, Brain Research Reviews
View all citing articles on Scopus

This work was supported by grant NSC-84-2331-B-182-037 from the National Science Council of Republic of China and by grant CMRP444 from Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.

View full text