Featured Review Cellscience Reviews Vol 5 No 1 ISSN 1742-8130

The ionic mechanism of GABA and GABAA receptor regulation of stem cell proliferation and differentiation

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is best known as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in adult neurons, in which it hyperpolarizes neurons by opening GABAA receptors. In embryonic and neonatal neurons GABA is involved in normal development, but GABAA receptors depolarize neurons because intracellular chloride is higher than in adults. Evidence has accumulated showing that GABA through GABAA receptors also regulates brain neural stem cell function. GABA causes neural stem cell proliferation to halt, and recent evidence shows a similar effect of GABA on embryonic stem (ES) cells and boundary cap stem (BCS) cells. However, the ionic mechanisms are very different as within brain neural stem cells GABAA receptors are depolarizing, while in ES and BCS they are hyperpolarizing. This review will explore possible causes and consequences of this difference.

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