The GATeway to treating neurological disorders
One of the smallest protein structures ever determined using cryo-EM, GAT1 is fundamental to GABA neurotransmission and its structural determination is pivotal to developing therapies for a range of GABA-associated neurological disorders.
A cryo-electron microscopy (EM) study led by Cornelius Gati at the University of Southern California Dornsife (CA, USA) has elucidated the atomic structure of the gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) transporter 1 (GAT1), a vital transmembrane protein for neurotransmission. Knowing GAT1’s structure may enable the development of future treatments for disorders including epilepsy, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases, anxiety and autism spectrum disorder.
