0000000000026182
AUTHOR
Natasha Moser
α4-1 Subunit mRNA of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in the rat olfactory bulb: cellular expression in adult, pre- and postnatal stages
In addition to their role in signal transduction, nicotinic acetylcholine receptors have been shown in vi-tro to be involved in neuronal growth cone regulation during development. This idea is supported by recent histochemical findings showing that iso- and archicortical nicotinic alpha4-1 receptor mRNA expression precedes cholinergic fiber ingrowth. To test whether this also holds true for rhinencephalic parts of the telencephalon, we have studied the olfactory bulb by digoxigenin-mediated in situ hybridization, using an alpha4-1 isoform-specific riboprobe and an alkaline-phosphatase-based detection system. Development is characterized by early intense alpha4-1 mRNA expression (embryonic d…
Expression of the α4 isoform of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in the fetal human cerebral cortex
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are likely to play an important role in neuronal migration during development. Furthermore, the alpha4 receptor subunit gene is related to a hereditary juvenile form of epilepsy. Only little information is available, however, on the expression of cerebrocortical nicotinic acetylcholine receptors during human fetal development. Using non-isotopic in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, we have studied the distribution of the alpha4 subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor mRNA and protein in the human frontal cortex at middle (17-24 weeks of gestation) and late (34-42 weeks of gestation) fetal stages. Both, alpha4 receptor mRNA and alpha4 rece…
Evaluating the suitability of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antibodies for standard immunodetection procedures
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors play important roles in numerous cognitive processes as well as in several debilitating central nervous system (CNS) disorders. In order to fully elucidate the diverse roles of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in CNS function and dysfunction, a detailed knowledge of their cellular and subcellular localizations is essential. To date, methods to precisely localize nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the CNS have predominantly relied on the use of anti-receptor subunit antibodies. Although data obtained by immunohistology and immunoblotting are generally in accordance with ligand binding studies, some discrepancies remain, in particular with electrophysiolog…
Molecular Histochemistry of Nicotinic Receptors in Human Brain
Only a decade ago the existence and functional significance of central nervous nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) was still a subject of controversy. Today, the importance of this receptor class for signal transduction in human brain in normal and pathological conditions has become quite evident. nAChRs have turned out to be important pharmacological targets in disorders like Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (Arneric et al., 1994). One prerequisite to understand nAChR function is a detailed study of the cellular distribution of nAChR subtypes. In recent years several human-specific data have been made available. This paper attempts to show actual developments in this field, summarizing the e…