Postnatal changes of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 4, alpha 7 and beta 2 subunits genes expression in rat brain.
Postnatal changes of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 4, alpha 7 and beta 2 subunits mRNAs were investigated in rat brain using ribonuclease protection assay. Multiple developmental patterns were observed: (1) transient expression during the first few postnatal weeks; alpha 2 in the hippocampus and brain stem, alpha 3 in the striatum, cerebellum and cortex, alpha 4 in the hippocampus, striatum and cerebellum, alpha 7 in the cerebellum and beta 2 in the striatum. (2) Constant expression across development; alpha 2 and alpha 3 in the thalamus, alpha 4 in the cortex, thalamus and brain stem, alpha 7 in the thalamus and brain stem and beta 2 in all brain regions except striatum. (3) Non-detection across development; alpha 2 in the cortex, striatum and cerebellum. (4) Increase with age; alpha 7 in the cortex and hippocampus. (5) Bell-shaped development; alpha 7 in the striatum. Postnatal changes of nAChR isoforms in different brain regions of rat were investigated by receptor binding assays. The developmental patterns of [3H]epibatidine and (-)-[3H]nicotine binding sites were similar to each other in each brain region, but different from that of [3H] alpha-bungarotoxin binding sites. No obvious correlation was observed between the developmental patterns of [3H] alpha-bungarotoxin, [3H]epibatidine and (-)-[3H]nicotine binding sites and corresponding subunits mRNAs. These results indicate that multiple mechanisms are involved in changes of gene expression of nAChRs subunits in the brain of developing rats.
Zhang
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X
Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Family Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge University Hospital, Sweden.
Liu
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C
Miao
H
H
Gong
Z H
ZH
Nordberg
A
A
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development*; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development; D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic / Q000494:pharmacology; D002038:Bungarotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development; D017931:DNA Primers; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011725:Pyridines / Q000494:pharmacology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D011869:Radioligand Assay; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development; D014316:Tritium
D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic; D002038:Bungarotoxins; D017931:DNA Primers; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D011725:Pyridines; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D014316:Tritium; D009538:Nicotine; C082748:epibatidine