title: Distinctive nicotinic acetylcholine receptor functional phenotypes of rat ventral tegmental area dopaminergic neurons.
abstract: Dopaminergic (DAergic) neuronal activity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is thought to contribute generally to pleasure, reward, and drug reinforcement and has been implicated in nicotine dependence. nAChRs expressed in the VTA exhibit diverse subunit compositions, but the functional and pharmacological properties are largely unknown. Here, using patch-clamp recordings in single DAergic neurons freshly dissociated from rat VTA, we clarified three functional subtypes of nAChRs (termed ID, IID and IIID receptors) based on whole-cell current kinetics and pharmacology. Kinetic analysis demonstrated that comparing to ID, IID receptor-mediated current had faster activation and decay constant and IIID receptor-mediated current had larger current density. Pharmacologically, ID receptor-mediated current was sensitive to the alpha4beta2-nAChR agonist RJR-2403 and antagonist dihydro-beta-erythroidine (DHbetaE); IID receptor-mediated current was sensitive to the selective alpha7-nAChR agonist choline and antagonist methyllycaconitine (MLA); while IIID receptor-mediated current was sensitive to the beta4-containing nAChR agonist cytisine and antagonist mecamylamine (MEC). The agonist concentration-response relationships demonstrated that IID receptor-mediated current exhibited the highest EC(50) value compared to ID and IIID receptors, suggesting a relatively low agonist affinity of type IID receptors. These results suggest that the type ID, IID and IIID nAChR-mediated currents are predominately mediated by activation of alpha4beta2-nAChR, alpha7-nAChR and a novel nAChR subtype(s), respectively. Collectively, these findings indicate that the VTA DAergic neurons express diversity and multiplicity of functional nAChR subtypes. Interestingly, each DAergic neuron predominantly expresses only one particularly functional nAChR subtype, which may have distinct but important roles in regulation of VTA DA neuronal function, DA transmission and nicotine dependence.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ 85013-4496, USA.
authors.forename: Kechun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lucero
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Xuechu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhen
authors.forename: Guozhang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Ronald J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Lukas
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000157:Aconitine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000470:Alkaloids / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001392:Azocines / Q000494:pharmacology; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002794:Choline / Q000494:pharmacology; D004079:Dihydro-beta-Erythroidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D007700:Kinetics; D008464:Mecamylamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009538:Nicotine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018733:Nicotinic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D011807:Quinolizines / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism; D017557:Ventral Tegmental Area / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D000093843:Quinolizidine Alkaloids
chemical_list: D000109:Acetylcholine; D000157:Aconitine; D000470:Alkaloids; D001392:Azocines; D002794:Choline; D004079:Dihydro-beta-Erythroidine; D004298:Dopamine; D008464:Mecamylamine; D009538:Nicotine; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D018733:Nicotinic Antagonists; D021122:Protein Subunits; D011807:Quinolizines; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; C054634:methyllycaconitine; C012419:metanicotine; C004712:cytisine; D000093843:Quinolizidine Alkaloids