Date of Completion

Spring 4-27-2018

Thesis Advisor(s)

Angel L. De Blas, Ph.D.

Honors Major

Physiology and Neurobiology

Disciplines

Cell Anatomy | Cell Biology | Cellular and Molecular Physiology | Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience | Molecular Biology

Abstract

Type A GABA receptors (GABAARs) can be found embedded in postsynaptic membranes or in a variety of extrasynaptic locations. Receptors with synaptic function are recruited to the postsynapse by submembranous scaffolds composed of gephyrin and collybistin (CB). This study was aimed at assessing whether the ability to interact with the scaffold differentiates synaptic from non-synaptic receptors. Using HEK293 cells as an expression system, and indirect immunofluorescence (IF), co-localization of extrasynaptic receptors α1β3δ and α4β3δ with the CB-gephyrin scaffold was assessed and compared with that of the synaptic receptor α1β3γ2. Results indicated that both extrasynaptic receptors were able to colocalize with the scaffold. This observation indicates that there must be some other mechanism responsible for keeping extrasynaptic receptors outside of the postsynapse.

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