Abstract
The application of nicotine to the various epithelia served by the trigeminal nerve produces irritation and/or pain by activating neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (NnAChRS) in sensory neurons. In this study the NnAChRs were identified in rat trigeminal ganglia (TG) using RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry. With RT-PCR the subunits of NnAChRs in rat TG were determined, and with immunocytochemistry the localization of three prominent subunits (α7, α4 and β2) were localized in intact TG neurons. The relative abundance of the α and β subunits were: α7≈α3>α6>α4≈α5>α9≥α2, and β2≈β3>β4. This is the first report of the α9 subunit in TG. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that almost all TG neurons contained α7-LI and α4-LI, and that 85% had β2-LI. For these three subunits much of the label was internalized. Immunocytochemical studies using antibodies raised against chick α8 subunits did not specifically label rat TG. These data reveal that rat TG neurons contain the entire spectrum of mammalian NnAChR subunits.
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