For researchers looking to understand and someday treat certain neuropsychological ailments, one place to start is a molecule known as GABA, which binds to receptor molecules in neurons and helps regulate neuron firing rates in the brain. Now, researchers have produced a detailed map of one such GABA receptor, revealing not just the receptor’s structure but new details of how it moves from its inactive to active state, a team writes June 17 in Nature.
Scientists have never seen such details before in a human receptor, said Cornelius Gati, a structural biologist at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and a senior author of the new paper. Information about the structure of the molecule and its transitions between states could help scientists better understand GABA receptors and may help chemists design better drugs to treat addiction, psychosis and other conditions.
Read more at: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200617150017.htm