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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Using an α-Bungarotoxin Binding Site Tag to Study GABA A Receptor Membrane Localization and Trafficking
Published on: March 28, 2014
The cholinergic antagonist alpha-bungarotoxin also binds and blocks a subset of GABA receptors
Corey M McCann1, John Bracamontes, Joe Henry Steinbach
1Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Abstract:
The polypeptide snake toxin alpha-bungarotoxin (BTX) has been used in hundreds of studies on the structure, function, and development of the neuromuscular junction because it binds tightly and specifically to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) at this synapse. We show here that BTX also binds to and blocks a subset of GABA(A) receptors (GABA(A)Rs) that contain the GABA(A)R beta3 subunit. These results introduce a previously unrecognized tool for analysis of GABA(A)Rs but may complicate interpretation of some studies on neuronal nAChRs.
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