Click here to close Hello! We notice that you are using Internet Explorer, which is not supported by Xenbase and may cause the site to display incorrectly. We suggest using a current version of Chrome, FireFox, or Safari.
XB-ART-43051
Br J Pharmacol 2011 Sep 01;1642b:667-80. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2011.01396.x.
Show Gene links Show Anatomy links

Hydrophobic anions potently and uncompetitively antagonize GABA(A) receptor function in the absence of a conventional binding site.

Chisari M , Wu K , Zorumski CF , Mennerick S .


???displayArticle.abstract???
A 'lock-and-key' binding site typically accounts for the effect of receptor antagonists. However, sulphated neurosteroids are potent non-competitive antagonists of GABA(A) receptors without a clear structure-activity relationship. To gain new insights, we tested two structurally unrelated hydrophobic anions with superficially similar properties to sulphated neurosteroids.We used voltage-clamp techniques in Xenopus oocytes and hippocampal neurons to characterize dipicrylamine (DPA) and tetraphenylborate (TPB), compounds previously used to probe membrane structure and voltage-gated ion channel function.Both DPA and TPB potently antagonized GABA(A) receptors. DPA exhibited an IC₅₀ near 60 nM at half-maximal GABA concentration and antagonism with features indistinguishable from pregnenolone sulphate antagonism, including sensitivity to a point mutation in transmembrane domain 2 of the α1 subunit. Bovine serum albumin, which scavenges free membrane-associated DPA, accelerated both capacitance offset and antagonism washout. Membrane interactions and antagonism were explored using the voltage-dependent movement of DPA between membrane leaflets. Washout of DPA antagonism was strongly voltage-dependent, paralleling DPA membrane loss, although steady-state antagonism lacked voltage dependence. At antagonist concentrations, DPA failed to affect inhibitory post-synaptic current (IPSC) amplitude or decay, but DPA accelerated pharmacologically prolonged IPSCs.Neurosteroid-like GABA(A) receptor antagonism appears to lacks a conventional binding site. These features highlight key roles of membrane interactions in antagonism. Because its membrane mobility can be controlled, DPA may be a useful probe of GABA(A) receptors, but its effects on excitability via GABA(A) receptors raise caveats for its use in monitoring neuronal activity.

???displayArticle.pubmedLink??? 21457224
???displayArticle.pmcLink??? PMC3188920
???displayArticle.link??? Br J Pharmacol
???displayArticle.grants??? [+]

Species referenced: Xenopus laevis

References [+] :
Akk, Neurosteroid access to the GABAA receptor. 2005, Pubmed