title: Central nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the chicken and Drosophila CNS: biochemical and molecular biology approaches.
abstract: Putative neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) were investigated using biochemical and molecular biology approaches. In the chick visual system, a nicotinic cholinergic binding site was localized on a polypeptide of Mr 57,000 using the potent antagonist, alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha-Btx). Ion flux experiments indicate that this membrane protein is different from the toxin-insensitive nAChR present in vertebrate neurons. Crosshybridization with a Torpedo nAChR cDNA probe allowed isolation of a cholinergic receptor cDNA (ARD) from the Drosophila CNS. Analysis of the corresponding gene, its transcripts and the ARD protein are presented here.
authors.affiliation: Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie, Universität Heidelberg, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Betz
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Gundelfinger
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hermans-Borgmeyer
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sawruk
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schloss
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schmitt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002038:Bungarotoxins / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D002645:Chickens; D004330:Drosophila; D007700:Kinetics; D009420:Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000378:metabolism; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013045:Species Specificity; D064569:alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor
chemical_list: D002038:Bungarotoxins; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D064569:alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor