title: M2 muscarinic receptors inhibit cell proliferation in human glioblastoma cell lines.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In the present work we investigated the expression of M2 muscarinic receptor subtype in two glioblastoma cell lines and its role in the control of cell proliferation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The M2 receptor transcript and protein expression was studied using RT-PCR and western blot analysis. (3)[H]-thymidine incorporation was used to evaluate cell proliferation in the presence or in the absence of M(2) agonist arecaidine.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We demonstrated that M(2) receptor is expressed in both cell lines, although U251 cells show a higher expression level, compared to U87 cells. The activation of M(2) receptors by the agonist arecaidine decreases cell growth in a dose and time dependent manner. The anti-proliferative effect of arecaidine is also confirmed by the significant decrease of (3)[H]-thymidine incorporation in both cell lines. Moreover the M2 antagonist gallamine counteracts the arecaidine effects confirming M2 receptor involvement in glioma cell growth inhibition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest a role for M2 receptors in the inhibition of glioma cell proliferation and the possibility of exploiting these receptors as new promising tools for glioblastoma therapy.
authors.affiliation: Dept. Biology and Biotechnologies Charles Darwin, Research Center of Neurobiology Daniel Bovet, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferretti
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fabbiano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Bari
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ponti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Calogero
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Tata
mesh_terms: D001115:Arecoline / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D043585:Receptor, Muscarinic M2 / Q000819:agonists / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D043585:Receptor, Muscarinic M2; C015688:arecaidine; D001115:Arecoline