Expression of functional nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in neuroepithelial bodies of neonatal hamster lung

2003 ◽  
Vol 285 (6) ◽  
pp. L1203-L1212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Wen Fu ◽  
Colin A. Nurse ◽  
Suzanne M. Farragher ◽  
Ernest Cutz

Pulmonary neuroepithelial bodies (NEB) are presumed airway chemoreceptors involved in respiratory control, especially in the neonate. Nicotine is known to affect both lung development and control of breathing. We report expression of functional nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) in NEB cells of neonatal hamster lung using a combination of morphological and electrophysiological techniques. Nonisotopic in situ hybridization method was used to localize mRNA for the β2-subunit of nAChR in NEB cells. Double-label immunofluorescence confirmed expression of α4-, α7-, and β2-subunits of nAChR in NEB cells. The electrophysiological characteristics of nAChR in NEB cells were studied using the whole cell patch-clamp technique on fresh lung slices. Application of nicotine (∼0.1-100 μM) evoked inward currents that were concentration dependent (EC50 = 3.8 μM; Hill coefficient = 1.1). ACh (100 μM) and nicotine (50 μM) produced two types of currents. In most NEB cells, nicotine-induced currents had a single desensitizing component that was blocked by mecamylamine (50 μM) and dihydro-β-erythroidine (50 μM). In some NEB cells, nicotine-induced current had two components, with fast- and slow-desensitizing kinetics. The fast component was selectively blocked by methyllcaconitine (MLA, 10 nM), whereas both components were inhibited by mecamylamine. Choline (0.5 mM) also induced an inward current that was abolished by 10 nM MLA. These studies suggest that NEB cells in neonatal hamster lung express functional heteromeric α3β2, α4β2, and α7 nAChR and that cholinergic mechanisms could modulate NEB chemoreceptor function under normal and pathological conditions.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 7251
Author(s):  
Petrilla Jayaprakash ◽  
Dmytro Isaev ◽  
Waheed Shabbir ◽  
Dietrich E. Lorke ◽  
Bassem Sadek ◽  
...  

Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impaired social interaction and cognitive deficit, restricted repetitive behaviors, altered immune responses, and imbalanced oxidative stress status. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in studying the role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), specifically α7-nAChRs, in the CNS. Influence of agonists for α7-nAChRs on the cognitive behavior, learning, and memory formation has been demonstrated in neuro-pathological condition such as ASD and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Curcumin (CUR), the active compound of the spice turmeric, has been shown to act as a positive allosteric modulator of α7-nAChRs. Here we hypothesize that CUR, acting through α7-nAChRs, influences the neuropathology of ASD. In patch clamp studies, fast inward currents activated by choline, a selective agonist of α7-nAChRs, were significantly potentiated by CUR. Moreover, choline induced enhancement of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents was markedly increased in the presence of CUR. Furthermore, CUR (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg, i.p.) ameliorated dose-dependent social deficits without affecting locomotor activity or anxiety-like behaviors of tested male Black and Tan BRachyury (BTBR) mice. In addition, CUR (50 and 100 mg/kg, i.p.) mitigated oxidative stress status by restoring the decreased levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in the hippocampus and the cerebellum of treated mice. Collectively, the observed results indicate that CUR potentiates α7-nAChRs in native central nervous system neurons, mitigates disturbed oxidative stress, and alleviates ASD-like features in BTBR mice used as an idiopathic rodent model of ASD, and may represent a promising novel pharmacological strategy for ASD treatment.


2005 ◽  
Vol 94 (5) ◽  
pp. 3081-3091 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Jun Zhu ◽  
Randall R. Stewart ◽  
J. Michael McIntosh ◽  
Forrest F. Weight

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a critical component of the amygdaloid circuit, which is thought to be involved in fear conditioned responses. Using whole cell patch-clamp recording, we found that activation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) leads to an action potential-dependent increase in the frequency of spontaneous GABAergic currents in principal neurons in the BLA. These spontaneous GABAergic currents were abolished by a low-Ca2+/high-Mg2+ bathing solution, suggesting that they are spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs). Blockade of ionotropic glutamate receptors did not prevent this increased frequency of sIPSCs nor did blockade of α7 nAChRs. Among the nAChR agonists tested, cystisine was more effective at increasing the frequency of the sIPSCs than nicotine or 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenyl piperazinium iodide, consistent with a major contribution of β4 nAChR subunits. The nicotinic antagonist, dihydro-β-erythroidine, was less effective than d-tubocurarine in blocking the increased sIPSC frequency induced by ACh, suggesting that α4-containing nAChR subunits do not play a major role in the ACh-induced increased sIPSC frequency. Although α2/3/4/7 and β2/4 nAChR subunits were found in the BLA by RT-PCR, the agonist and antagonist profiles suggest that the ACh-induced increase in sIPSC frequency involves predominantly α3β4-containing nAChR subunits. Consistent with this, α-conotoxin-AuIB, a nAChR antagonist selective for the α3β4 subunit combination, inhibited the ACh-induced increase in the frequency of sIPSCs. The observations suggest that nicotinic activation increases the frequency of sIPSCs in the BLA by acting mainly on α3β4-containing nicotinic receptors on GABAergic neurons and may play an important role in the modulation of synaptic transmission in the amygdala.


2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (3) ◽  
pp. 818-824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Friederich ◽  
André Dybek ◽  
Bernd W. Urban

Background Surprising clinical evidence suggests a block of sympathetic transmission by ketamine. The action of ketamine on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in human ganglions is unknown. Because ganglionic transmission depends on nAChRs, such information may help to clarify whether ketamine impairs ganglionic transmission in men. Because racemic ketamine as well as S(+)-ketamine are used clinically, the authors investigated stereospecific effects on human ganglionic nAChRs. Stereospecific psychomimetic effects have been attributed to voltage-dependent Kv channel inhibition; therefore the effects on nAChRs were compared with those on Kv channels present in the same cells. Methods Whole-cell currents through nAChRs and K channels were measured in SH-SY5Y cells with the patch-clamp technique by application of acetylcholine (1 mm, nAChRs) or by a step depolarization from a holding potential of -80 mV to +40 mV (K channels). Electrolyte conditions were identical for both currents. Results Racemic ketamine and the isomers inhibited nAChRs and K channels in a concentration-dependent and reversible manner. Racemic ketamine inhibited nAChRs and K channels, with the anesthetic concentration inducing the half-maximal effect being 1.4 and 300 micrometer, respectively. Only inhibition of the nAChRs was stereoselective. The half-maximal concentrations were 0.8 and 3.6 micrometer for S(+)- and R(-)-ketamine. The K channels were 350 and 70 times less sensitive to the effects of S(+)- and R(-)-ketamine. Conclusion Ketamine at concentrations found during clinical anesthesia exerts stereospecific effects on human ganglionic nAChRs but not on voltage-dependent K channels. Our results support the view that ketamine impairs sympathetic ganglionic transmission. Nonspecific effects on voltage-dependent K channels may underlie psychomimetic side effects.


2014 ◽  
Vol 112 (12) ◽  
pp. 3154-3163 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Hernández-Vázquez ◽  
K. Chavarría ◽  
J. Garduño ◽  
S. Hernández-López ◽  
S. P. Mihailescu

The dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) contains large populations of serotonergic (5-HT) neurons. This nucleus receives GABAergic inhibitory afferents from many brain areas and from DRN interneurons. Both GABAergic and 5-HT DRN neurons express functional nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Previous studies have demonstrated that nicotine increases 5-HT release and 5-HT DRN neuron discharge rate by stimulating postsynaptic nAChRs and by increasing glutamate and norepinephrine release inside DRN. However, the influence of nicotine on the GABAergic input to 5-HT DRN neurons was poorly investigated. Therefore, the aim of this work was to determine the effect of nicotine on GABAergic spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) of 5-HT DRN neurons and the subtype of nAChR(s) involved in this response. Experiments were performed in coronal slices obtained from young Wistar rats. GABAergic sIPSCs were recorded from post hoc-identified 5-HT DRN neurons with the whole cell voltage patch-clamp technique. Administration of nicotine (1 μM) increased sIPSC frequency in 72% of identified 5-HT DRN neurons. This effect was not reproduced by the α4β2 nAChR agonist RJR-2403 and was not influenced by TTX (1 μM). It was mimicked by the selective agonist for α7 nAChR, PNU-282987, and exacerbated by the positive allosteric modulator of the same receptor, PNU-120596. The nicotine-induced increase in sIPSC frequency was independent on voltage-gated calcium channels and dependent on Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release (CICR). These results demonstrate that nicotine increases the GABAergic input to most 5-HT DRN neurons, by activating α7 nAChRs and producing CICR in DRN GABAergic terminals.


2001 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 183-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esteve Ros ◽  
Jordi Aleu ◽  
Inmaculada Gomez De Aranda ◽  
Carles Cantí ◽  
Yuan-Ping Pang ◽  
...  

Bis(7)-tacrine is a potent acetylcholinesterase inhibitor in which two tacrine molecules are linked by a heptylene chain. We tested the effects of bis(7)-tacrine on the spontaneous synaptic activity. Miniature endplate potentials (MEPPs) were recorded extracellularly on slices of electric organ of Torpedo marmorata. Bis(7)-tacrine, at a concentration of 100 nM, increased the magnitudes that describe MEPPs: amplitude, area, rise time, rate of rise, and half-width. We also tested the effect of bis(7)-tacrine on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors by analyzing the currents elicited by acetylcholine (100 μM) in Torpedo electric organ membranes transplanted in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Bis(7)-tacrine inhibited the acetylcholine-induced currents in a reversible manner (IC50 = 162 nM). The inhibition of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors was not voltage dependent, and bis(7)-tacrine increased the desensitization of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. The Hill coefficient for bis(7)-tacrine was −0.72 ± 0.02, indicating that bis(7)-tacrine binds to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in a molecular ratio of 1:1, but does not affect the binding of α-bungarotoxin with the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. In conclusion, bis(7)-tacrine greatly increases the spontaneous quantal release from peripheral cholinergic terminals at a much lower concentration than tacrine. Bis(7)-tacrine also blocks acetylcholine-induced currents of Torpedo electric organ, although the mechanism is different from that of tacrine: bis(7)-tacrine enhances desensitization, whereas tacrine reduces it.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (22) ◽  
pp. 7007
Author(s):  
Victoria L. Luck ◽  
David P. Richards ◽  
Ashif Y. Shaikh ◽  
Henrik Franzyk ◽  
Ian R. Mellor

Alterations in the polyamine and amino acid (tyrosine) moieties of philanthotoxin-343 (PhTX-343) were investigated for their effects on the antagonism of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) isolated from the locust (Schistocerca gregaria) mushroom body. Through whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, the philanthotoxin analogues in this study were shown to cause inhibition of the inward current when co-applied with acetylcholine (ACh). PhTX-343 (IC50 = 0.80 μM at −75 mV) antagonised locust nAChRs in a use-dependent manner, suggesting that it acts as an open-channel blocker. The analogue in which both the secondary amine functionalities were replaced with methylene groups (i.e., PhTX-12) was ~6-fold more potent (IC50 (half-maximal inhibitory concentration) = 0.13 μM at −75 mV) than PhTX-343. The analogue containing cyclohexylalanine as a substitute for the tyrosine moiety of PhTX-343 (i.e., Cha-PhTX-343) was also more potent (IC50 = 0.44 μM at −75 mV). A combination of both alterations to PhTX-343 generated the most potent analogue, i.e., Cha-PhTX-12 (IC50 = 1.71 nM at −75 mV). Modulation by PhTX-343 and Cha-PhTX-343 fell into two distinct groups, indicating the presence of two pharmacologically distinct nAChR groups in the locust mushroom body. In the first group, all concentrations of PhTX-343 and Cha-PhTX-343 inhibited responses to ACh. In the second group, application of PhTX-343 or Cha-PhTX-343 at concentrations ≤100 nM caused potentiation, while concentrations ≥1 μM inhibited responses to ACh. Cha-PhTX-12 may have potential to be developed into insecticidal compounds with a novel mode of action.


2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaochuan Guo ◽  
Robin A. J. Lester

The relationship between the concentration of intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) and recovery from desensitization of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in rat medial habenula (MHb) neurons was investigated using the whole cell patch-clamp techniques in combination with microfluoresecent [Ca2+]i measurements. Recovery from desensitization was assessed with a paired-pulse agonist application protocol. Application of 100 μM nicotine (5 s) caused pronounced desensitization of nAChRs, after which recovery proceeded with two components. The relative weight of the two phases of recovery was sensitive to the nature of the intracellular Ca2+ chelator, with a greater fraction of channels recovering during the fast phase in the presence of BAPTA than EGTA. Recovery was affected by differential Ca2+ buffering only when Ca2+ was present in the extracellular solution, implying that Ca2+ influx through nAChRs was responsible for slowing the recovery. Simultaneous [Ca2+]i measurements showed that recovery from desensitization was inversely correlated with the instantaneous [Ca2+]i, further supporting the suggestion that elevation of [Ca2+]i limits the return of nAChRs to the resting state. In a separate set of experiments, activation of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels during the recovery phase produced a sufficiently large increase in [Ca2+]i to reduce recovery from desensitization even in the absence of Ca2+ influx through nAChRs. Overall, it is suggested that Ca2+ entry through both nAChRs and voltage-gated Ca2+ channels exerts a negative feedback on nAChR activity through stabilization of desensitized states. The interaction of these two Ca2+ sources could form the basis of a coincidence detector under specific circumstances.


2012 ◽  
Vol 107 (1) ◽  
pp. 257-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Q. Pilarski ◽  
Hilary E. Wakefield ◽  
Andrew J. Fuglevand ◽  
Richard B. Levine ◽  
Ralph F. Fregosi

Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are expressed on hypoglossal motor neurons (XII MNs) that innervate muscles of the tongue. Activation of XII MN nAChRs evokes depolarizing currents, which are important for regulating the size and stiffness of the upper airway. Although data show that chronic developmental nicotine exposure (DNE) blunts cholinergic neurotransmission in the XII motor nucleus, it is unclear how nAChRs are involved. Therefore, XII MN nAChR desensitization and recovery were examined in tissues from DNE or control pups using a medullary slice preparation and tight-seal whole cell patch-clamp recordings. nAChR-mediated inward currents were evoked by brief pressure pulses of nicotine or the α4β2 nAChR agonist RJR-2403. We found that, regardless of treatment, activatable nAChRs underwent desensitization, but, following DNE, nAChRs exhibited increased desensitization and delayed recovery. Similar results were produced using RJR-2403, showing that DNE influences primarily the α4β2 nAChR subtype. These results show that while some nAChRs preserve their responsiveness to acute nicotine following DNE, they more readily desensitize and recover more slowly from the desensitized state. These data provide new evidence that chronic DNE modulates XII MN nAChR function, and suggests an explanation for the association between DNE and the incidence of central and obstructive apneas.


2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 507-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wang Hong ◽  
Qi-Sheng Liang ◽  
Lan-Ren Cheng ◽  
Xiao-Hong Li ◽  
Fu Wei ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Rocuronium is an alternative to succinylcholine for rapid tracheal intubation after major thermal injury and other forms of critical illness that cause denervation changes in skeletal muscle. Rocuronium may decrease the potencies of non-depolarizing muscle relaxants. Objectives: Examine whether potency of rocuronium changed during the first month after denervation, and investigate the effects of skeletal muscle denervation on potency of rocuronium. Methods: The denervation mouse model was developed to create denervated individual cells from the flexor digitorum brevis of the hindfoot. The skeletal muscle cells were examined at day 0 in the innervated control and days 1, 4, 7, 14, 21, and 28 in the denervation group. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the cells were activated with 30 M acetylcholine, alone or in combination with various concentrations of rocuronium. Currents were recorded with a whole-cell patch-clamp technique. Results: Rocuronium reversibly inhibited acetylcholine-activated currents in a dose-dependent fashion at different times after denervation. The inhibition concentration for the half-maximal responses of rocuronium increased 1.2- (p >0.05), 1.8-, 2.8-, 2.3-, 2.1-, and 1.9-fold (p <0.01) at day 1, 4, 7, 14, 21, and 28 after denervation, respectively, compared to that at day 0 after denervation. Conclusion: Rocuronium dose required to achieve satisfactory clinical effects changed at different durations after skeletal muscle denervation.


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