[GABA B-type receptors: structure and functions].

Available data on structure, localization, physiology and pharmacology of GABAB-type receptors are reviewed. GABAB-receptors are pre- and postsynaptically located, belong to metabotropic ones and are connected to trimeric G-protein. Mammal GABAB-receptors, consisting of two subunits of B1 and B2 type, are allosterically regulated heterodimers (actively functioning GABAB-receptors). The activation of GABAB-type receptors leads to increasing K+ release from the cell and hyperpolarization of cell membrane. GABAB-receptors are also connected with potentially dependent Ca2+ channels, which are involved in the synaptic release of neurotransmitters. There is a great number of their allosteric modulators, agonists and antagonists.