Abstract
In insects, acetylcholine (ACh) is the main neurotransmitter, and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) mediate fast cholinergic synaptic transmission. In the honeybee, nAChRs are expressed in diverse structures including the primary olfactory centres of the brain, the antennal lobes (AL) and the mushroom bodies. Whole-cell, voltage-clamp recordings were used to characterize the nAChRs present on cultured AL cells from adult honeybee, Apis mellifera. In 90% of the cells, applications of ACh induced fast inward currents that desensitized slowly. The classical nicotinic agonists nicotine and imidacloprid elicited respectively 45 and 43% of the maximum ACh-induced currents. The ACh-elicited currents were blocked by nicotinic antagonists methyllycaconitine, dihydroxy-beta-erythroidine and alpha-bungarotoxin. The nAChRs on adult AL cells are cation permeable channels. Our data indicate the existence of functional nAChRs on adult AL cells that differ from nAChRs on pupal Kenyon cells from mushroom bodies by their pharmacological profile and ionic permeability, suggesting that these receptors could be implicated in different functions.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
