unc-49 encodes multiple subunits of a heteromeric GABA receptor; unc-49 activity is required for postsynaptic GABA responsiveness and thus for normal regulation of locomotion; UNC-49::GFP reporter fusions for at least two isoforms are expressed in dorsal and ventral head and body wall muscles, with isoform-specific expression also seen in the sphincter muscle; UNC-49::GFP subcellular localization is most prominent at neuromuscular junctions; in Xenopus oocytes and mammalian tissue culture cells, two UNC-49 subunits, UNC-49B and UNC-49C, are able to form a functional heteromeric GABA receptor.
Predicted to enable transmitter-gated monoatomic ion channel activity involved in regulation of postsynaptic membrane potential. Predicted to contribute to chloride channel activity. Involved in gamma-aminobutyric acid signaling pathway; locomotory behavior; and regulation of backward locomotion. Located in neuromuscular junction and postsynaptic membrane. Expressed in AVA; anal sphincter muscle; body wall musculature; and somatic nervous system. Used to study epilepsy.