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and 

GABAA Receptors
Departments of Neurology (H.-J.F., R.L.M.), Molecular Physiology and Biophysics (R.L.M.), and Pharmacology (R.L.M.), Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
GABAA receptors are predominantly composed of 

and 

isoforms in the brain. It has been proposed that 

receptors mediate phasic inhibition, whereas 

receptors mediate tonic inhibition. Propofol (2,6-di-isopropylphenol), a widely used anesthetic drug, exerts its effect primarily by modulating GABAA receptors; however, the effects of propofol on the kinetic properties of 

and 

receptors are uncertain. We transfected human embryonic kidney (HEK293T) cells with cDNAs encoding rat
1,
6,
3,
2L, or
subunits and performed whole-cell patch-clamp recordings to explore this issue. Propofol (3 µM) increased GABA concentration-response curve maximal currents similarly for both
1
3
2L and
6
3
2L receptors, but propofol increased those for
1
3
and
6
3
receptors differently, the increase being greater for
1
3
than for
6
3
receptors. Propofol (10 µM) produced similar alterations in
1
3
2L and
6
3
2L receptor currents when using a preapplication protocol; peak currents were not altered, desensitization was reduced, and deactivation was prolonged. Propofol enhanced peak currents for both
1
3
and
6
3
receptors, but the enhancement was greater for
1
3
receptors. Desensitization of these two isoforms was not modified by propofol. Propofol did not alter the deactivation rate of
1
3
receptor currents but did slow deactivation of
6
3
receptor currents. The findings that propofol reduced desensitization and prolonged deactivation of
2L subunit-containing receptors and enhanced peak currents or prolonged deactivation of
subunit-containing receptors suggest that propofol enhancement of both phasic and tonic inhibition may contribute to its anesthetic effect in the brain.
Address correspondence to: Dr. Robert L. Macdonald, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 6140 Medical Research Building III, 465 21st Ave., South, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-8552. E-mail: robert.macdonald{at}vanderbilt.edu
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