GABA(A) Receptor Antibody Explorer Kit,Alomone Labs,AK-229_KIT

GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Its production, release, reuptake, and metabolism all occur in the nervous system 1 . The GABA transmitter interacts with two major types of receptors: ionotropic GABA A receptors (GABA A R) and metabotropic receptors ( GABA B R ). GABA A Rs belong to the ligand-gated ion channel superfamily 2 . GABA inhibits the activity of signal-receiving neurons by interacting with the GABA A receptor on these cells 3 . Binding of GABA to its GABA A receptor results in conformational changes that open a Cl - channel, producing an increase in membrane conductance that results in inhibition of neural activity 2 . GABA A Rs are heteropentamers, in which all five subunits contribute to pore formation. To date, eight subunit isoforms have been cloned: α, β, γ, δ, ε, π, θ, and ρ 1 . Six α subunit isoforms have been found to exist in mammals (α1-α6). In most cases, native GABA A receptors consist of 2α, 2β, and 1δ subunits. The α subunit is the most common and is expressed ubiquitously. It determines the affinities of GABA A Rs for allosteric ligands.