title: Diverse functions of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes.
abstract: Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes m1, m3 and m5 couple strongly to phosphatidylinositol turnover and hence to intracellular Ca2+ concentration via pertussis toxin (PTX) sensitive and insensitive G proteins. The m2 and m4 muscarinic receptor subtypes strongly inhibit adenylyl cyclase production via PTX sensitive G proteins. Additionally, the cardiac M2 receptor is closely coupled to a K+ current (IK.ACh). To characterize this functional diversity more completely, we measured the ACh-induced Ca2+ responses of cells transfected with the muscarinic receptor subtypes m1, m2, m3 and m4. As expected, cells transfected with m1 or m3 receptors exhibited large dose-dependent increases in Ca2+ in response to ACh application. Unexpectedly, cells transfected with m2 or m4 receptors also exhibited increases in Ca2+ in response to agonist application. The m2- or m4-coupled responses were smaller in amplitude, required higher concentrations of agonist and were much more sensitive to PTX treatment when compared to m1- or m3-coupled responses. We discuss this remarkable diversity of function in terms of the receptor subtype's coupling to G proteins.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lechleiter
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Peralta
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Clapham
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000378:metabolism; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000502:physiology*; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015221:Potassium Channels; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic; D002118:Calcium