The altered expression of α1 and β3 subunits of the gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptor is related to the hepatitis C virus infection

Abstract

The modulation of the gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA A) receptors activity was observed in several chronic hepatitis failures, including hepatitis C. The expression of GABA A receptor subunits α1 and β3 was detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) originated from healthy donors. The aim of the study was to evaluate if GABA A α1 and β3 expression can also be observed in PBMCs from chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients and to evaluate a possible association between their expression and the course of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. GABA A α1- and β3-specific mRNAs presence and a protein expression in PBMCs from healthy donors and CHC patients were screened by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot, respectively. In patients, HCV RNA was determined in sera and PBMCs. It was shown that GABA A α1 and β3 expression was significantly different in PBMCs from CHC patients and healthy donors. In comparison to healthy donors, CHC patients were found to present an increase in the expression of GABA A α1 subunit and a decrease in the expression of β3 subunit in their PBMCs. The modulation of α1 and β3 GABA A receptors subunits expression in PBMCs may be associated with ongoing or past HCV infection.

Different Subtypes of GABA-A Receptors Are Expressed in Human, Mouse and Rat T Lymphocytes

“…α1, α2, β3 and δ have been detected in cultured peritoneal macrophages and β1 and ε from macrophages isolated from an EAE mouse model [21] . Human peripheral monocytes have been reported to express the α1, α3, α4, β2, β3, δ and ε subunits [6] , [22] or only the β2 subunit [13] . Dionisio et al (2011) also examined human periperal monocytes and consistently detected the α1, δ and ρ2 subunits.…”

Genome-wide association study of high-altitude pulmonary edema in Han Chinese

“…GABRB3 下游, γ-氨基丁酸是一种天然存在的非蛋白 组成氨基酸, 具有极其重要的生理功能, γ-氨基丁酸 A受体 是一 个氯 离子 通 道, 通 过 离 子通 道的 开 闭, 调节血压和中枢神经系统功能 [39] 。 rs2017869 位于伽 马谷氨酰转移酶 1(GGT1)基因内含子中, 该酶是 "花 生四烯酸代谢过程"中重要的酶之一, 既往研究发 现, 在慢性肺梗阻(COPD)病人中GGT1 表达量的变 化可直接引起肺部的炎症反应 [19] ; GGT1 基因内含 子中另外一个多态性位点rs5751901可影响GGT1 基 因的表达量 [20] Freedman等 [40] 在对"后GWAS时代"的思考中提到, eQTL可以位于基因附近甚至与基因存在一定的距 离。因此, 我们下一步的工作主要在于扩大样本量 验证差异位点, 并尝试寻找影响基因表达的eQTL。 参考文献(References):…”