title: The alpha5 subunit of the murine type A GABA receptor.
abstract: GABA[A] receptors in the brain convert binding of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) to inhibition by chloride currents. Several important classes of drugs, including benzodiazepines and alcohol, modulate these receptors, which have also been implicated in epilepsy. We describe the alpha5 subunit of GABAA receptors in mice, comparing inbred DBA/2J mice, prone to juvenile audiogenic seizures, with seizure resistant C57BL/6J mice. We find no sequence differences between the strains, although there are several interesting amino acid differences from the rat. We also compare the expression of the alpha5 subunit in whole brains of DBA/2J mice to that in C57BL/6J mice at 21 days, the peak of the former's seizure susceptibility, again finding no significant difference. We further describe the pattern of expression of alpha5 mRNA during mouse brain development, with a peak at 3 days after birth, and among five brain regions in the adult mouse, with the highest levels in the hippocampus. Finally, we present preliminary evidence for rare alternative splicing of this subunit's message, in the N-terminal extracellular domain, to give a form not translatable into a functional protein.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 655 W. Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
authors.forename: Z F
authors.initials: ZF
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Kamatchi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mu
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Burt
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001483:Base Sequence; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D012640:Seizures / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A