HISTOLOGY AND HISTOPATHOLOGY

Cellular and Molecular Biology

 

Review

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and cell proliferation: focus on cancer cells

M. Watanabe, K. Maemura, K. Oki, N. Shiraishi, Y. Shibayama and K. Katsu

1Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, 2Department of Internal Medicine II and 3Department of Pathology I, Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan

Offprint requests to: Masahito Watanabe, PhD, Department of Anatomy, Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Osaka 569-8686, Japan. e-mail: an2002@art.osaka-med.ac.jp


Summary. In addition to its role in the adult mammalian nervous system as an inhibitory neurotransmitter, g-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is involved in the proliferation, differentiation, and migration of several kinds of cells including cancer cells. GABA is synthesized predominantly from glutamate by glutamate decarboxylase and exerts its effects via ionotropic GABAA receptors and/or metabotropic GABAB receptors. In this review, the current state of knowledge regarding the role of the GABAergic system in peripheral nonneuronal cell proliferation is described, and recent advances in elucidation of the mechanisms leading to cell proliferation are discussed. Histol Histopathol 21, 1135-1141 (2006)

Key words: GABA, GABA receptor, Proliferation, Cancer

DOI: 10.14670/HH-21.1135