The labelling of an axonal membrane component with 4-(N-maleimido) benzyltrimethylammonium, a reagent capable of affinity-labelling the alpha-subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.
Membrane vesicles, isolated from crustacean axons, were treated, following disulfide reduction, with 3H-NEM or with 3H-MBTA. SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that exposure to NEM (a nonspecific thiol reagent) resulted in the labelling of several peptide bands, while with MBTA only a single band with a molecular weight of 50,000 was labelled. Reaction with MBTA (believed to be a specific label for the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor) could be largely prevented by preincubation with d-tubocurarine or bromacetylcholine.
D000345:Affinity Labels / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism*; D004229:Dithiothreitol / Q000494:pharmacology; D005033:Ethylmaleimide / Q000378:metabolism; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008566:Membranes / Q000378:metabolism; D008970:Molecular Weight; D008121:Nephropidae; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds / Q000378:metabolism*; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000032:analysis*; D014403:Tubocurarine / Q000494:pharmacology
D000345:Affinity Labels; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; C008313:4-(N-maleimido)benzyltrimethylammonium; D005033:Ethylmaleimide; D004229:Dithiothreitol; D014403:Tubocurarine