title: Coexpression of alpha 9 and alpha 10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons.
abstract: Previous binding studies have suggested the presence of a so far unknown nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit in dorsal root ganglia (Pugh et al., 1995). Here, we investigated whether the most recently identified subunit, alpha10, and its potential interaction partner, alpha9 (Elgoyhen et al., 2001), are expressed in these ganglia. All neurons of rat dorsal root ganglia, but no glial cells, expressed both alpha9 and alpha10 mRNA in in situ hybridization, and exhibited alpha10 immunoreactivity using a newly raised antibody. These findings were confirmed by RT-PCR and western blotting. The data show that dorsal root ganglion neurons coexpress alpha9 and alpha10 nicotinic receptor subunits, thereby providing the first example of neuronal expression of this receptor subunit pair.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Justus-Liebig-University, Aulweg 123, D-35385 Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lips
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Pfeil
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kummer
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: C470699:Chrna10 protein, rat; C498541:Chrna9 protein, rat; D021122:Protein Subunits; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic