GABAa receptors, activation barbiturate binding site

GABAa is a protein with a pentameiic group of subunits (Fig. 4.7). Each subunit has approximately 200 amino acids. There are arormd fom hydrophobic regions which enable the receptor to possess allosteric pockets for interactions, and the hydrophobic region is also important to anchor the protein into the cell membrane. Barbiturates bind with a site different from the site of binding of benzodiazepines, which bind at the active site rather than changing the receptor conformation via an allosteric interaction. 

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