The ␥-aminobutyric acid type B (GABA B ) receptor is a heterodimeric G-protein-coupled receptor. In humans, three splice variants of the GABA B receptor 1 (R1) subunit differ in having one, both, or neither of two putative complement control protein (CCP) modules at the extracellular N terminus, prior to the GABA-binding domain. The in vivo function of these predicted modules remains to be discovered, but a likely association with extracellular matrix proteins is intriguing. The portion of the GABA B R1a variant encompassing both of its CCP module-like sequences has been expressed, as have the sequences corresponding to each individual module. Each putative CCP module exhibits the expected pattern of disulfide formation. However, the second module (CCP2) is more compactly folded than the first, and the three-dimensional structure of this more C-terminal module (expressed alone) was solved on the basis of NMRderived nuclear Overhauser effects. This revealed a strong similarity to previously determined CCP module structures in the regulators of complement activation. The N-terminal module (CCP1) displayed conformational heterogeneity under a wide range of conditions whether expressed alone or together with CCP2. Several lines of evidence indicated the presence of native disorder in CCP1, despite the fact that recombinant CCP1 contributes to binding to the extracellular matrix protein fibulin-2. Thus, we have shown that the two CCP modules of GABA B R1a have strikingly different structural properties, reflecting their different functions.␥-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) 1 is the principal inhibitory neurotransmitter of the vertebrate central nervous system. It is the ligand for both ionotropic GABA type A receptors and metabotropic GABA type B (GABA B ) receptors. GABA B receptors belong to G-protein-coupled receptor class III, which includes metabotropic glutamate receptors, Ca 2ϩ -sensing receptors, and some pheromone and taste receptors (1). Agonist and antagonists of GABA B receptors have been shown to be effective in clinical cases or animal models of nociception, depression, addiction, epilepsy, and cognitive impairment. Selective GABA B receptor ligands could also be useful in the treatment of peripheral nervous system disorders (2, 3).The GABA B receptor is composed of subunits termed GABA B R1 and GABA B R2, both of which are needed for receptor function (4 -7). The two subunits share a similar molecular architecture, common to all class III G-protein-coupled receptors, consisting of a large extracellular N-terminal domain encompassing a ligand-binding site, followed by a transmembrane heptahelical domain and an intracellular C-terminal tail. Coupling to G-proteins is mediated by the intracellular loops connecting the transmembrane helices and the C-terminal region.In class III G-protein-coupled receptors, the extracellular domain of each subunit is proposed to have a dynamic bilobate structure, where the two globular lobes form a "clamshell"-like shape. The current model for the function of these dimers suggest...