Inhibitory neurosteroids and the GABAA receptor.

γ-Aminobutyric acid type A receptors (GABAARs) are vital proteins that are engaged in regulating neural circuit activity in the central nervous system. Their effectiveness in this task is dependent on the extent of receptor modulation by naturally occurring ligands that are released in the brain. One of the foremost examples of such ligands is the neurosteroids that can either potentiate GABAAR function or cause direct inhibition. To fully understand the underlying mechanisms by which neurosteroids modulate GABAARs, it is necessary to identify their binding sites on the receptors. For potentiating neurosteroids, recent work has made substantive progress in identifying a binding site located in the transmembrane domains of GABAAR α subunits. However, for the inhibitory neurosteroids, several possibilities exist including an ion channel site as well as potential sites in the transmembrane domain. This review systematically analyzes the evidence behind possible binding sites for the inhibitory neurosteroids. We consider the chemical structure-function properties of such inhibitory neurosteroids, their physiological effects on synaptic inhibition, and whether a binding site exists in the GABA ion channel or in other areas of the transmembrane domain. Finally, we discuss how structural homology modeling and Cys-loop receptor homologues may help to locate the inhibitory neurosteroid-binding site on GABAARs.