title: Influence of denervation on the cholinergic membrane of the electric tissue of Electrophorus electricus (L.).
abstract: A procedure for the isolation of semi-purified membrane fractions containing nicotinic cholinergic receptors from normal and denervated electric organs of the electric eel was developed. A decrease of the binding capacity of [125I]alpha-bungarotoxin was observed on enriched denervated membrane fractions. After denervation, the acetylcholinesterase activity was significantly smaller than that of the normal tissue. Electron microscopic analysis of the different subcellular fractions was performed both for the normal and denervated tissues. The main alteration observed after denervation was a degeneration of the vesicular structures of toxin binding fractions.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gomes Quintana
authors.lastname: Nesralla Lobão
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002038:Bungarotoxins / Q000378:metabolism; D002458:Cell Fractionation; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D003714:Denervation; D004557:Electric Organ / Q000294:innervation* / Q000378:metabolism; D004593:Electrophorus; D007700:Kinetics; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002038:Bungarotoxins; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic