Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of Drosophila melanogaster: the alpha-subunit dalpha3 and the beta-type subunit ARD co-assemble within the same receptor complex.
Dalpha3 is a functional alpha-subunit of Drosophila melanogaster nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Here, we produced Dalpha3-specific antibodies to study which other nAChR subunits can co-assemble with Dalpha3 in receptor complexes of the Drosophila nervous system. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that Dalpha3 is co-distributed with the beta-subunit ARD in synaptic neuropil regions of the optic lobe. Both subunits can be co-purified by alpha-bungarotoxin affinity chromatography. Dalpha3 antibodies co-immunoprecipitate Dalpha3 and ARD proteins and, vice versa, anti-ARD antibodies co-precipitate ARD and Dalpha3. These data demonstrate that one type of fly nAChRs includes these two subunits as integral components.
Chamaon
K
K
Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Department of Neurochemistry and Molecular Biology, Magdeburg, Germany.
Schulz
R
R
Smalla
K H
KH
Seidel
B
B
Gundelfinger
E D
ED
D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D011233:Precipitin Tests; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D000906:Antibodies; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic