PKCε and allopregnanolone: functional cross-talk at the GABA(A) receptor level

Changes in GABAergic inhibition occur during physiological processes, during response to drugs and in various pathologies. These changes can be achieved through direct allosteric modifications at the γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) type A (GABA(A)) receptor protein level, or by altering the synthesis, trafficking and stability of the receptor. Neurosteroids (NSs) and protein kinase C (PKC) are potent modulators of GABA(A) receptors and their effects are presumably intermingled, even though evidence for this hypothesis is only partially explored. However, several PKC isoforms are able to phosphorylate the GABA(A) receptor, producing different functional effects. We focused on the ε isoform, that has been correlated to the sensitivity of the GABA(A) receptor to allosteric modulators and whose expression may be regulated in peripheral sensory neurons by NSs. The cross-talk between PKC-ε and NSs, leading to changes in GABA(A) receptor functionality, is considered and discussed in this perspective.