A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Guanidino compounds with native GABA(A) δ receptor selectivity: a tale of homeostatic compensation in δ-KO mice
Authors: Meera, Pratap; Uusi-Oukari, Mikko; Wallner, Martin; Lipshutz, Gerald S.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Publication year: 2025
Journal: BMC Neuroscience
eISSN: 1471-2202
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12868-025-00987-z
Publication's open availability at the time of reporting: Open Access
Publication channel's open availability : Open Access publication channel
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12868-025-00987-z
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/505935778
Altered GABAergic transmission has been implicated in the neurological symptoms of metabolic disorders associated with guanidino compound (GC) accumulation. Building on previous findings that selected GCs act as direct orthosteric GABAA receptor (GABAR) agonists, we now asked whether these GCs act preferentially on high-affinity extrasynaptic δ subunit-containing receptors (δ-GABAs). Using whole-cell patch clamp recordings from mouse cerebellar granule cells (CGCs) in brain slices of wild-type and δ-subunit knockout (δ-KO) mice, together with 5 nM [³H]muscimol displacement assays on WT and δ-KO forebrains, we compared the actions of four structurally GABA-like GCs — guanidinoacetate (GAA), β-guanidinopropionate (β-GPA), guanidinoethanesulfonate (GES), and γ-guanidinobutyrate (γ-GBA). These compounds activated CGC GABARs in cumulative concentration-response curves and displaced the highly δ-GABAR-selective ligand [3H]muscimol suggesting δ-GABAR-selective orthosteric agonist actions. In δ-KO forebrains, total [³H]muscimol binding was reduced by ~ 50%, confirming the loss high-agonist-affinity but low-abundance (~ 5% of total forebrain GABARs) δ-GABARs. δ-KO CGCs showed markedly reduced agonist sensitivity, with EC₅₀ values (µM, WT/δ-KO): GABA (2/6) < β-GPA (3/8) < GAA (4/14) < GES (32/72) < γ-GBA (44/219). The modest loss of agonist sensitivity for GABA and the four GABA-mimetic GCs in δ-KO CGCs is consistent with compensatory upregulation of non-δ extrasynaptic GABARs containing only α and β subunits, as previously described (Tretter et al., JBC 2001), explaining the preserved tonic inhibition in δ-KO neurons. Our findings demonstrate that GABA-mimetic GCs preferentially target δ-GABARs and suggest that homeostatic compensation by αβ-type GABARs is a key adaptive mechanism maintaining inhibitory tone in δ-KO CGC neurons.
Downloadable publication This is an electronic reprint of the original article. |
Funding information in the publication:
These studies were funded by NIH/NINDS R01NS110596 (to G.S.L.).