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




AuthorsMeera, Pratap; Uusi-Oukari, Mikko; Wallner, Martin; Lipshutz, Gerald S.

PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC

Publication year2025

Journal: BMC Neuroscience

eISSN1471-2202

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1186/s12868-025-00987-z

Publication's open availability at the time of reportingOpen 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 addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/505935778


Abstract

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.


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Funding information in the publication
These studies were funded by NIH/NINDS R01NS110596 (to G.S.L.).


Last updated on 12/01/2026 04:47:14 PM