Anti-GABA (A) a1 Receptor (extracellular)-ATTO-488


Product#:AGA-001-AG

Sizes:
50 µl


GABA (g-aminobutyric acid) is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Its production, release, reuptake, and metabolism all occur in the nervous system.1

 

The GABA transmitter interacts with two major types of receptors: ionotropic GABA(A) receptors (GABA(A)R) and metabotropic receptors (GABA(B)R). GABA(A)Rs belong to the ligand-gated ion channel superfamily.2 GABA inhibits the activity of signal-receiving neurons by interacting with the GABA(A)  receptor on these cells.3 Binding of GABA to its GABA(A) receptor results in conformational changes that open a Cl- channel, producing an increase in membrane conductance that results in inhibition of neural activity.2

GABA(A)Rs are heteropentamers, in which all five subunits contribute to pore formation.  To date, eight subunit isoforms have been cloned: a, b, g, d, e,P, q, and r.1 Six a subunit isoforms have been found to exist in mammals (a1-a6). In most cases, native GABA(A) receptors consists of 2a, 2b, and 1g subunits. The a subunit is the most common and is expressed ubiquitously. It determines the affinities of GABA(A) Rs for allosteric ligands.

 

Each subtype has a unique regional expression in the brain, and individual neurons often express multiple subtypes.4 The a1 subunit is highly expressed in adulthood while the a2 subunit is highly expressed very early in rat brain development. Failure to complete the normal transition between the a-subunits that are highly expressed in early development (a2, a3, and a5) and those expressed in adulthood (a1) is suggested to play a major role in the development of temporal lobe epilepsy.5

 

Alomone Labs is pleased to offer a new version of the Anti-GABA(A)a1 (extracellular) antibody (#AGA-001) that is directly labeled with an ATTO-488 fluorescent dye. ATTO dyes are characterized by strong absorption (high extinction coefficient), high fluorescence quantum yield, and high photo-stability. The ATTO-488 label is analogous to the well known dye fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and can be used with filters typically used to detect FITC. The Anti-GABA (A) a1 Receptor (extracellular)-ATTO-488 antibody (#AGA-001-AG) has been tested in immunohistochemical applications and is specially suited for experiments requiring simultaneous labeling of different markers.



Host:

Rabbit.

 

Type:

Polyclonal.

Epitope:

Peptide QPSQD ELKDN TTVFT R(C), corresponding to amino acid residues 28-43 of rat GABA (A) a1 Receptor (Accession  P62813).

Putative epitope location:

Extracellular, N-terminus.

Homology:

Mouse - identical; human, bovine - 16/17 amino acid residues identical; chicken - 14/17 amino acid residues identical.

 

 

Label:

ATTO-488. Maximum absorption 501 nm; maximum fluorescence 523 nm. The fluorescence is excited most efficiently in the 480 - 515 nm range. This label is analogous to the well known dye fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and can be used with filters typically used to detect FITC.

Reactivity Confirmed:

Rat.

 

Standard Quality Control of each lot:

Western blot analysis (unlabeled antibody, see datasheet of product (#AGA-001) and immunohistochemistry (labeled antibody).

Applications:
Immunohistochemistry:

Expression of GABA (A) a1 Receptor in rat brain

Immunohistochemical staining of GABA (A) a1 Receptor in rat dentate gyrus using Anti-GABA (A) a1 Receptor (extracellular)-ATTO-488 antibody (#AGA-001-AG) (green). Staining reveals hilar neurons (arrows) and fibers coursing through the granule layer (G). DAPI is used as the counterstain (blue).

 


References:
1. Owens, D.F. and Kriegstein, A.R. (2002) Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 3, 715.
2. Whiting, P.J. (1999) Neurochem. Int. 34, 387.
3. Mihic, S.J. and Harris, R.A. (1997) Alcohol Health Res. World 21, 127.
4. Neelands, T.R. et al. (1999) J. Neurosci. 19, 7057.
5. Fuchs, K. and Celepirovic, N. (2002) J. Neurochem. 82, 1512.
For research purposes only, not for human use.