0000000000921718
AUTHOR
Eva Stetzer
Stable expression in HEK-293 cells of the rat alpha3/beta4 subtype of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.
The alpha3/beta4 subtype of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) was stably expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells that co-expressed a voltage-gated Ca2+ channel. alpha3/beta4-nAChR-expressing clones were identified using the fura-2 Ca2+ imaging technique, and were further characterised by single-cell and whole-cell patch-clamp studies. Acetylcholine (ACh) induced fast activating currents which showed desensitisation and inward rectification. The conductance of the ACh-activated channel was 29 pS. The order of potency of the nicotinic agonists tested was cytisine approximately = nicotine > acetylcholine. The EC50 value for ACh was 145 microM; the Hill coefficient w…
Neuronal Nicotinic Receptors in the Locust Locusta migratoria
We have identified five cDNA clones that encode nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunits expressed in the nervous system of the locust Locusta migratoria. Four of the subunits are ligand-binding α subunits, and the other is a structural β subunit. The existence of at least one more nAChR gene, probably encoding a β subunit, is indicated. Based on Northern analysis and in situ hybridization, the five subunit genes are expressed. locα1, locα3, andlocβ1 are the most abundant subunits and are expressed in similar areas of the head ganglia and retina of the adult locust. Because Locα3 binds α-bungarotoxin with high affinity, it may form a homomeric nAChR subtype such as the mammalian α7…