Abstract
Fast inhibition in the nervous system is preferentially mediated by GABA- and glycine-receptors. Two types of ionotropic GABA-receptor, the GABAA-receptor and GABAC-receptor, have been identified; they have specific molecular compositions, different sensitivities to GABA, different kinetics, and distinct pharmacological profiles. We have studied, by immunocytochemistry, the synaptic localization of glycine-, GABAA-, and GABAC-receptors in rodent retina, spinal cord, midbrain, and brain-stem. Antibodies specific for the α1 subunit of the glycine-receptor, the γ2 subunit of the GABAA-receptor, and the ρ subunits of the GABAC-receptor have been applied. Using double-immunolabeling, we have determined whether these receptors are expressed at the same postsynaptic sites. In the retina, no such colocalization was observed. However, in the spinal cord, we found the colocalization of glycine-receptors with GABAA- or GABAC-receptors and the colocalization of GABAA- and GABAC-receptors in approximately 25% of the synapses. In the midbrain and brain-stem, GABAA- and GABAC-receptors were colocalized in 10%–15% of the postsynaptic sites. We discuss the possible expression of heteromeric (hybrid) receptors assembled from GABAA- and GABAC-receptor subunits. Our results suggest that GABAA- and GABAC-receptors are colocalized in a minority of synapses of the central nervous system.
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Acknowledgements
We thank B. Marshallsay for excellent technical assistance and I. Odenthal for typing this article. Slices of mouse and rat brain were kindly provided by Drs. Henrik Alle and Jörg Geiger.
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Frazao, R., Nogueira, M.I. & Wässle, H. Colocalization of synaptic GABAC-receptors with GABAA-receptors and glycine-receptors in the rodent central nervous system. Cell Tissue Res 330, 1–15 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-007-0446-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-007-0446-y