Abstract

The α9 and α10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunits are likely to be the evolutionary precursors to the entire cys-loop superfamily of ligand-gated ion channels, which includes acetylcholine, GABA, glycine and serotonin ionotropic receptors. nAChRs containing α9 and α10 subunits are found in the inner ear, dorsal root ganglia and many non-excitable tissues, but their expression in the central nervous system has not been definitely demonstrated. Here we show the presence of both α9 and α10 nAChR subunits in the mouse brain by RT-PCR and immunochemical approaches with a range of nAChR subunit-selective antibodies, which selectivity was demonstrated in the brain preparations of α7−/−, α9−/− and α10−/− mice. The α9 and α10 RNA transcripts were found in medulla oblongata (MO), cerebellum, midbrain (MB), thalamus and putamen (TP), somatosensory cortex (SC), frontal cortex (FC) and hippocampus. High α9-selective signal in ELISA was observed in the FC, SC, MO, TP and hippocampus and α10-selective signal was the highest in MO and FC. The α9 and α10 proteins were found in the brain mitochondria, while their presence on the plasma membrane has not been definitely confirmed The α7-, α9- and α10-selective antibodies stained mainly neurons and hypertrophied astrocytes, but not microglia. The α9- and α10-positive cells formed ordered structures or zones in cerebellum and superior olive (SO) and were randomly distributed among α7-positive cells in the FC; they were found in CA1, CA3 and CA4, but not in CA2 region of the hippocampus. The α9 and α10 subunits were up-regulated in α7−/− mice and both α7 and α9 subunits were down-regulated in α10−/− mice. We conclude that α9 and α10 nAChR subunits are expressed in distinct neurons of the mouse brain and in the brain mitochondria and are compensatory up-regulated in the absence of α7 subunits.

Highlights

  • Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are ligand-gated ion channels mediating fast synaptic transmission in muscles and autonomic ganglia (Skok, 2002; Kalamida et al, 2007), regulating transmitter release in the brain (Gotti et al, 2009) and controlling vital cellular functions like survival, proliferation or adhesion in many excitable and non-excitable cellsAbbreviations: GFAP, glial fibrillary acidic protein; IRE-1α, inositol-requiring enzyme-1α; KO, knockout; nAChR, nicotinic acetylcholine receptor; VDAC, voltage-dependent anion channel; WT, wild type.α9/α10 Nicotinic Receptors in the Brain (Kawashima and Fujii, 2008)

  • To study the presence of α7, α9 and α10 nAChR subunits in the detergent lysates of the mouse brain we at first used the Sandwich ELISA approach, which had been developed in our laboratory and previously employed to reveal other nAChR subtypes in the mouse brain and mitochondria (Lykhmus et al, 2011, 2014)

  • This assay includes coating antibody raised against the whole extracellular domain (1–208) of α7 subunit, able to capture a wide range of nAChR subunits due to substantial structural homology of their extracellular domains, and a detecting biotinylated antibody against a specific epitope of certain subunit

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Summary

INTRODUCTION

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are ligand-gated ion channels mediating fast synaptic transmission in muscles and autonomic ganglia (Skok, 2002; Kalamida et al, 2007), regulating transmitter release in the brain (Gotti et al, 2009) and controlling vital cellular functions like survival, proliferation or adhesion in many excitable and non-excitable cells. The α9(α10) nAChR is one of the most recently discovered nAChR subtypes These receptors were found in the hair cells of the inner ear and regulate auditory functions (Elgoyhen et al, 1994). Later, their expression was observed in many other locations and tissues (Peng et al, 2004; Chernyavsky et al, 2007; Hecker et al, 2009; Mikulski et al, 2010; Chikova and Grando, 2011; Koval et al, 2011; St-Pierre et al, 2016) including dorsal root ganglia (Lips et al, 2002). It was biotinylated by a standard procedure (Harlow and Lane, 1988)

Procedures for Brain Samples Preparation
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