A predominant form of the GABAA/benzodiazepine receptor-Cl- channel complex is believed to consist of three different 48-55 kDa subunits (alpha, beta, gamma) with unknown stoichiometry. Plasmids containing the rat GABAA receptor cDNAs coding for alpha 1, beta 2, and gamma 2 were co-transfected, along with a plasmid encoding G418 resistance, into human embryonic kidney cells previously transformed with Adenovirus 5 (HEK-293) [J. Gen. Virol., 36 (1977) 59-72]. Four percent of the G418 resistant colonies were found to express mRNA for all three of the GABAA subunits constitutively. A single cell clone derived from one of the alpha 1 beta 2 gamma 2 expressors has demonstrated stable electrophysiological characteristics over 25 passages. The GABA-activated Cl- current in this cell line is blocked by picrotoxin and bicuculline, and is modulated by a variety of agonist and inverse agonist ligands including diazepam, Ro 154513, zolpidem, and beta-CCE. The cell line has been used successfully over a 12-month period as a screen for novel drugs modulating GABA-mediated polarization of neuronal cells.