Introducing the brain: making GABA (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, June 17, 2020, 19:03 (1618 days ago) @ David Turell

The video in this article shows how living biochemistry works, and it is easy to see how mistakes might happen:

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-intricate-key-brain-molecule.html

"For researchers looking to understand and someday treat certain neuropsychological ailments, one place to start is a molecule known as GABA, which binds to receptor molecules in neurons and helps regulate neuron firing rates in the brain. Now, researchers have produced a detailed map of one such GABA receptor, revealing not just the receptor's structure but new details of how it moves from its inactive to active state,...

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"GABA, short for gamma aminobutyric acid, is central to our brains' proper functioning. When released, it binds to neurons at one of two receptors, GABAA and GABAB, and slows their firing rates. Drugs that mimic GABA generally have a calming effect—the tranquilizer benzodiazepine, for example, works by binding to GABAA and activating the receptor.

"In the new study, Gati and colleagues focused their attention on GABAB, using cryo-electron microscopy to take detailed pictures of the molecule. The technique involves freezing a sample to better preserve it under the harsh conditions in an electron microscope, and its chief advantage is that it can catch molecules in a more natural state than other methods.

"In this case, the scientists hoped to map the structure of GABAB in both inactive and active, GABA-bound states. But when they reviewed data from their experiments, they found they had also caught more detail than they had anticipated. Those new findings include the existence and rough maps of two intermediate states that, Gati said, "we didn't even know existed."

"But perhaps, more important than the intermediate states themselves, was observing, for the first time, the active form of GABAB, said Vadim Cherezov, a structural biologist at the University of Southern California and the new paper's other senior author.

"To capture the active state, the team added two molecules into the mix with GABAB and took additional cryo-EM images. Adding those molecules—a GABA-like molecule and another, called a positive allosteric modulator or PAM, that fine-tunes GABAB function—stabilized GABAB receptor in its active state."

Comment: Be sure to see the video. Described as follows: "The activation transition for the GABAB receptor. GABAB comprises two distinct parts, GB1 and GB2. In the first step toward activation, researchers added an agonist, a GABA-like molecule that brings the pieces of GB1 and GB2 that sit outside the cell together. In the second step, the team added a molecule called a positive allosteric modulator, or PAM, which together with the agonist stabilized GABAB in its active form."

Obviously a very intricate design.