The TMEM132B-GABA<sub>A</sub> receptor complex controls alcohol actions in the brain.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 39357522.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1016/j.cell.2024.09.006.
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Abstract
Alcohol is the most consumed and abused psychoactive drug globally, but the molecular mechanisms driving alcohol action and its associated behaviors in the brain remain enigmatic. Here, we have discovered a transmembrane protein TMEM132B that is a GABA<sub>A</sub> receptor (GABA<sub>A</sub>R) auxiliary subunit. Functionally, TMEM132B promotes GABA<sub>A</sub>R expression at the cell surface, slows receptor deactivation, and enhances the allosteric effects of alcohol on the receptor. In TMEM132B knockout (KO) mice or TMEM132B I499A knockin (KI) mice in which the TMEM132B-GABA<sub>A</sub>R interaction is specifically abolished, GABAergic transmission is decreased and alcohol-induced potentiation of GABA<sub>A</sub>R-mediated currents is diminished in hippocampal neurons. Behaviorally, the anxiolytic and sedative/hypnotic effects of alcohol are markedly reduced, and compulsive, binge-like alcohol consumption is significantly increased. Taken together, these data reveal a GABA<sub>A</sub>R auxiliary subunit, identify the TMEM132B-GABA<sub>A</sub>R complex as a major alcohol target in the brain, and provide mechanistic insights into alcohol-related behaviors.
Medical subject headings
- Receptors, GABA-A
- Membrane Proteins
- Ethanol
- Mice, Knockout
- Brain