The behavioral and functional significance of the extrasynaptic inhibitory GABAA receptors in the brain is still poorly known. We used a transgenic mouse line expressing the GABAA receptor α6 subunit gene in the forebrain under the Thy‐1.2 promoter (Thy1α6) mice ectopically expressing α6 subunits especially in the hippocampus to study how extrasynaptically enriched αβ(γ2)‐type receptors alter animal behavior and receptor responses. In these mice extrasynaptic α6β receptors make up about 10% of the hippocampal GABAA receptors resulting in imbalance between synaptic and extrasynaptic inhibition. The synthetic GABA‐site competitive agonist gaboxadol (4,5,6,7‐tetrahydroisoxazolo[5,4‐c]pyridin‐3‐ol; 3 mg/kg) induced remarkable anxiolytic‐like response in the light : dark exploration and elevated plus‐maze tests in Thy1α6 mice, while being almost inactive in wild‐type mice. The transgenic mice also lost quicker and for longer time their righting reflex after 25 mg/kg gaboxadol than wild‐type mice. In hippocampal sections of Thy1α6 mice, the α6β receptors could be visualized autoradiographically by interactions between gaboxadol and GABA via [35S]TBPS binding to the GABAA receptor ionophore. Gaboxadol inhibition of the binding could be partially prevented by GABA. Electrophysiology of recombinant GABAA receptors revealed that GABA was a partial agonist at α6β3 and α6β3δ receptors, but a full agonist at α6β3γ2 receptors when compared with gaboxadol. The results suggest strong behavioral effects via selective pharmacological activation of enriched extrasynaptic αβ GABAA receptors, and the mouse model represents an example of the functional consequences of altered balance between extrasynaptic and synaptic inhibition.

Backgroundγ-Aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors provide the main inhibitory control in the brain. Their heterogeneity may make it possible to precisely target drug effects to selected neuronal populations. In situ hybridization using rat brain sections has revealed a unique expression of GABAA receptor ε and θ subunit transcripts in the locus coeruleus, where they are accompanied at least by α3, α2, β1 and β3 subunits. Here, we studied the pharmacology of the human α3β1, α3β1ε, α3β1θ and α3β1εθ receptor subtypes expressed in Xenopus oocytes and compared them with the γ2 subunit-containing receptors.ResultsThe GABA sensitivites and effects of several positive modulators of GABAA receptors were studied in the absence and the presence of EC25 GABA using the two-electrode voltage-clamp method. We found 100-fold differences in GABA sensitivity between the receptors, α3β1ε subtype being the most sensitive and α3β1γ2 the least sensitive. Also gaboxadol dose-response curves followed the same sensitivity rank order, with EC50 values being 72 and 411 μM for α3β1ε and α3β1γ2 subtypes, respectively. In the presence of EC25 GABA, introduction of the ε subunit to the receptor complex resulted in diminished modulatory effects by etomidate, propofol, pregnanolone and flurazepam, but not by pentobarbital. Furthermore, the α3β1ε subtype displayed picrotoxin-sensitive spontaneous activity. The θ subunit-containing receptors were efficiently potentiated by the anesthetic etomidate, suggesting that θ subunit could bring the properties of β2 or β3 subunits to the receptor complex.ConclusionThe ε and θ subunits bring additional features to α3β1 GABAA receptors. These receptor subtypes may constitute as novel drug targets in selected brain regions, e.g., in the brainstem locus coeruleus nuclei.