The inhibitory synapse affinity tag, Venus-GABA_ARα1, is functional <i>in vitro</i>.

<p>(A) Schematic of VGABA_ARα1, showing the N-terminal fusion of an affinity tag, Venus. (B) Representative GABA-evoked currents (left) and current amplitude quantification (right) in voltage clamped <i>Xenopus</i> oocytes after coinjection of the indicated <i>GABR</i> cRNA subunits. Values are expressed as mean ± SEM; n = 5 oocytes per group (**p<0.01 t-test). (C) Schematic of the patch and stimulation electrodes used for paired-pulse recordings in cultured hippocampal neurons transduced with lentivirus encoding GABA_ARα1 (Lv-G_ARα1) or Venus-GABA_ARα1 (Lv-VG_ARα1) subunits. (D) Representative traces of GABAergic transmission in paired-pulse recordings in non-infected neurons and in neurons infected with the indicated lentivirus. Control traces in the presence of bicuculine are shown below each trace. (E) Quantification of the first eIPSC amplitudes and of the paired-pulse ratios obtained in the indicated neuronal cultures. Values are expressed as mean ± SEM; n = 7−9 recorded cells per group.