Therapeutically leveraging GABAA receptors in cancer

Abstract

γ-aminobutyric acid or GABA is an amino acid that functionally acts as a neurotransmitter and is critical to neurotransmission. GABA is also a metabolite in the Krebs cycle. It is therefore unsurprising that GABA and its receptors are also present outside of the central nervous system, including in immune cells. This observation suggests that GABAergic signaling impacts events beyond brain function and possibly human health beyond neurological disorders. Indeed, GABA receptor subunits are expressed in pathological disease states, including in disparate cancers. The role that GABA and its receptors may play in cancer development and progression remains unclear. If, however, those cancers have functional GABA receptors that participate in GABAergic signaling, it raises an important question whether these signaling pathways might be targetable for therapeutic benefit. Herein we summarize the effects of modulating Type-A GABA receptor signaling in various cancers and highlight how Type-A GABA receptors could emerge as a novel therapeutic target in cancer.