title: Effect of chronic administration of ethanol on the regulation of the delta-subunit of GABA(A) receptors in the rat brain.
abstract: In the present study, we investigated the effect of chronic ethanol (CE) administration on the polypeptide levels of the delta-subunit of GABA(A) receptors and [(3)H]muscimol binding to the immunoprecipitated delta-subunit-containing GABA(A) receptor assemblies in the rat brain. CE administration resulted a down-regulation of polypeptide levels of the delta-subunit of GABA(A) receptors in the rat cerebellum and hippocampus, whereas there were no changes in the delta-subunit polypeptide levels in the rat cerebral cortex. Further, CE administration caused a down-regulation of native delta-subunit-containing GABA(A) receptor assemblies in the rat cerebellum as determined by [(3)H]muscimol binding to the immunoprecipitated receptor assemblies. These results indicate that the delta-subunit-containing GABA(A) receptors may play a role in chronic ethanol-induced tolerance and dependence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, The University of Texas Health Science Center, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio TX 78229-3900, USA.
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Marutha Ravindran
authors.forename: Ashok K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Mehta
authors.forename: Maharaj K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Ticku
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000378:metabolism*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018755:GABA Agonists / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D009118:Muscimol / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000378:metabolism*; D014316:Tritium
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D018755:GABA Agonists; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A; D014316:Tritium; D009118:Muscimol; D000431:Ethanol