1. We have compared the electrical properties of the Cl-channels activated by GABA in cells acutely dissociated from embryonic (E) spinal cord (SC) and olfactory bulb (OB) regions at E15 using different configurations of the patch-recording technique. By in situ analysis these cells express GABAA receptor mRNAs encoding a common set of subunits (a2, A?2 and /13). SC cells also express a3, C5 and Y28 transcripts.2. Whole-cell recordings revealed current responses to GABA (0 5 1sM to 1 mM) in 242 out of 294 cells. In both SC and OB cells, currents evoked by 2 uM GABA could be potentiated by diazepam (DZP) in a dose-dependent manner with an EC50 of -50 nm in both SC and OB. The maximal effect was -300 %. Both SC and OB cells exhibited GABA-activated currents that were only partially sensitive to zinc even at high micromolar concentrations. The effect of DZP and the relatively modest sensitivity to zinc suggest the presence of y subunits in both preparations.3. Spectral analysis of current responses in twenty-six cells showed that power spectra could be fitted by three exponential components (T1-3) in the cells of both areas. This statistically significant difference in native GABAA receptor Cl-channel properties correlates with, and may be related to differences in subunit mRNA expression.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.