title: Diverse pre- and post-synaptic expression of m1-m4 muscarinic receptor proteins in neurons and afferents in the rat neostriatum.
abstract: We have utilized subtype specific antibodies to determine the cellular and subcellular distributions of the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes that are highly expressed in the rat striatum (m1-m4). Each receptor is expressed in distinct populations of striatal neurons in the relative proportions predicted by their mRNAs. They concentrate at post-synaptic sites and each of the four subtypes are also transported to pre-synaptic sites. m2 appears to be the only presynaptic autoreceptor in the striatum, but it is also localized in non-cholinergic terminals. These distinct pre- and post-synaptic localizations suggest that muscarinic receptor subtype diversity evolved to enable increasingly complex responses to acetylcholine release.
authors: Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.
authors: S M
authors: SM
authors: Hersch
authors: A I
authors: AI
authors: Levey
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002452:Cell Count; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D017661:Receptors, Presynaptic / Q000378:metabolism*; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic; D017661:Receptors, Presynaptic