GABAρ subunits confer a bicuculline-insensitive component to GFAP+ cells of cerebellum

Early postnatal development of the cerebellum involves a number of events that require signaling via the neurotransmitter GABA, which acts on specific receptors anchored in the plasma membrane. GABAergic transmission regulates the proliferation and migration of neuronal precursors of astrocytic lineage. Glial cells are known to express GABA-A receptors that include GABAρ subunits, but their expression pattern, functional properties, and trafficking dynamics remain unknown. This study found that a large number of glial cells express GABAρ in the cerebellum. Functional properties and intracellular trafficking of GABA-A receptors in glial cells grown in vitro suggest a different mechanism of GABAergic control of extrasynaptic transmission.