Insensitivity to anaesthetic agents conferred by a class of GABAA receptor subunit

Paul A. Davies, Mike C. Hanna, Tim G. Hales and Ewen F. Kirkness
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Paul A. Davies: The Institute for Genomic Research
Mike C. Hanna: The Institute for Genomic Research
Tim G. Hales: The Institute for Genomic Research
Ewen F. Kirkness: The Institute for Genomic Research

Nature, 1997, vol. 385, issue 6619, 820-823

Abstract: Abstract A common feature of general anaesthetic agents is their ability to potentiate neuronal inhibition through GABAA (γ-aminobutyric acid) receptors1. At concentrations relevant to clinical anaesthesia, these agents cause a dramatic stimulation of the chloride currents that are evoked by the binding of the natural ligand, GABAA. Although there is widespread evidence that the sensitivity of GABAA receptors to anaesthetic agents is heterogeneous2–4, the structural basis of these differences is largely unknown. Variations in subunit composition can have profound effects on the sensitivity of GABAA receptors to modulatory agents such as benzodiazepines5. However, strict subunit specificity has not been demonstrated for the potentiating effects of anaesthetic agents6–10. Here we describe a new class of human GABAA receptor subunit (η) that can assemble with α- and β-subunits and confer an insensitivity to the potentiating effects of intravenous anaesthetic agents. The η-subunit also abolishes the normal outward rectification of recombinant receptors in which it assembles. The expression pattern of this subunit in the brain suggests a new target for manipulation of neuronal pathways within the basal ganglia.

Date: 1997
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DOI: 10.1038/385820a0

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