title: The influence of an endogenous beta3 subunit on recombinant GABA(A) receptor assembly and pharmacology in WSS-1 cells and transiently transfected HEK293 cells.
abstract: Cell lines are commonly used for studying recombinant heterooligomeric ion channels with defined subunit composition. Such studies often ignore the contribution of endogenous proteins in the assembly of mature channels. We examined whether an endogenous subunit was required for the functional expression of gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA(A)) receptors in WSS-1 cells, HEK293 cells stably expressing recombinant alpha1 and gamma2 subunits. Our pharmacological and RT-PCR analyses of GABA(A) receptors and their mRNAs in WSS-1 cells confirm the presence of alpha1 and gamma2 subunits and suggest the existence of an endogenous beta3 subunit. Whole-cell GABA-evoked currents recorded from untransfected WSS-1 cells were blocked by bicuculline methiodide and enhanced by anesthetics and anticonvulsants including the subunit-selective compounds diazepam and loreclezole. These data suggest that, in addition to the gamma2 subunit, WSS-1 cell receptors also contain beta2/3 subunits. RT-PCR revealed that WSS-1 cells and parental HEK293 cells contain beta3 mRNA. We examined the contribution of the beta3 subunit in the function of receptors formed by expression of alpha1 and gamma2S subunits. Untransfected HEK293 cells were unresponsive to GABA. Cells transfected with alpha1 and gamma2S cDNAs displayed small diazepam and loreclezole responsive GABA-activated currents. By contrast, the expression of alpha1 and gamma2S cDNAs in the neuroblastoma NB41A3 cell line, that lacks beta subunit mRNAs, failed to produce functional receptors. These data reaffirm that alpha1 and gamma2S subunits alone do not form functional GABA(A) receptors and that receptors of WSS-1 cells contain alpha1, beta3 and gamma2S subunits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, USA.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Carlisle
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Tyndale
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Hales
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D003975:Diazepam / Q000494:pharmacology; D018757:GABA Modulators / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014162:Transfection; D014230:Triazoles / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D018757:GABA Modulators; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014230:Triazoles; C066440:loreclezole; D003975:Diazepam