Expression of GABA and glycine receptors by messenger RNAs from the developing rat cerebral cortex

The ontogenesis of mRNAs coding for GABA and glycine receptors in the cerebral cortex of the rat was examined by extracting poly(A)+ mRNA from the brains of embryonic, postnatal or adult rats and injecting it into Xenopus oocytes. The ability of a messenger to express functional receptors was then assayed by measuring the membrane currents elicited by the agonists. The size of the GABA-induced current increased progressively with age, being undetectable in oocytes injected with mRNA from embryonic day 15 and reaching a maximum in oocytes injected with mRNA from postnatal day 30. In contrast, the glycine-induced response was negligible in oocytes injected with mRNA from the cerebral hemispheres of embryos 15 days old; it increased sharply to a maximum with newborn animals and then decreased with age to become very small with mRNA from adult cortex. GABA and glycine receptors induced by mRNA from the cerebral cortex of all ages are associated with chloride channels.