Abstract
Habenula neurons from both early and late stage embryonic chickens express multiple subtypes of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor channels (nAChRs). The channel subtypes expressed by habenula neurons are similar in functional properties, but apparently distinct in subunit composition, from their peripheral counterparts in autonomic ganglia. Early in development, nicotine activates four classes of neuronal bungarotoxin (nBGT)-sensitive channels (approx. conductance=15, 30, 50, 60pS) that are intermingled on the surface of habenula neuronal somata. In neurons removed from older animals, nAChR channel activity has increased 4- to 40-fold and channel subtypes have become spatially segregated from one another. Analysis of the profile of nAChR subunit gene expression by polymerase chain reaction indicates that several of theα-type subunit genes, includingα2,3,4,5,7, andα8, as well as bothβ2 andβ4, are expressed. Treatment of the neurons with subunit specific antisense oligonucleotides reveals that theα2 andα4 (but notα3) subunits contribute to the functional profile of native nAChRs expressed by habenula neurons. Consideration of the functional properties and apparent subunit composition of autonomic ganglion nAChRs in the chick suggests that habenula neurons may utilize a very distinct set of subunit combinations to produce an array of nAChR channel subtypes similar in both conductance and pharmacological profile to those expressed by sympathetic neurons.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aizenman E, Loring RH, Lipton SA (1990) Blockade of nicotinic responses in rat retinal ganglion cells by neuronal bungarotoxin. Brain Res 517:209–214
Alkondon M, Albuquerque EX (1993) Diversity of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in rat hippocampal neurons. I. Pharmacological and functional evidence for distinct structural subtypes. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 265:1455–1473
Boyd RT, Jacob MH, Couturier S, Ballivet M, Berg DK (1988) Expression and regulation of neuronal acetylcholine receptor mRNA in chick ciliary ganglia. Neuron 1:495–502
Boyd RT, Jacob MH, McEachern AE, Caron S, Berg DK (1991) Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor mRNA in dorsal root ganglion neurons. J Neurobiol 22:1–14
Brehm P, Henderson L (1988) Regulation of acetylcholine receptor channel function during development of skeletal muscle. Dev Biol 129:1–11
Colquhoun L, Dineley K, Patrick J (1933) A hetero-beta neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Soc Neurosci Abstr 19:1533
Conroy WG, Vernallis AB, Berg DK (1992) Theα5 gene product assembles with multiple acetylcholine receptor subunits to form distinctive receptor subtypes in brain. Neuron 9:679–691
Corriveau RA, Berg DK (1993) Coexpression of multiple acetylcholine receptor genes in neurons: quantification of transcripts during development. J Neurosci 13:2662–2671
Reference deleted
Devay P, Qu X, Role L (1994) Regulation of nAChR subunit gene expression relative to the development of pre- and postsynaptic projections of embryonic chick sympathetic neurons. Dev Biol 162:56–70
Gardette R, Listerud M, Brussaard AB, Role LW (1991) Developmental changes in transmitter sensitivity and synaptic transmission in embryonic chicken sympathetic neurons innervated in vitro. Dev Biol 147:83–95
Halvorsen SW, Berg DW (1990) Subunit composition of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors from chick ciliary ganglia. J Neurosci 10:1711–1718
Hamill OP, Marty A, Neher E, Sakmann B, Sigworth FJ (1981) Improved patch-clamp techniques for high resolution current recording from cells and cell-free membrane patches. Pflügers Arch 391:85–100
Heinemann S, Boulter J, Deneris E, Connolly J, Duvousin R, Papke R, Patrick J (1990) The brain nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene family. Prog Brain Res 86:195–203
Henderson LP, Brehm P (1989) The single-channel basis for the slow kinetics of synaptic currents in vertebrate slow muscle fibers. Neuron 2:1399–1405
Houser CR, Crawford GD, Barber RP, Salvaterra PM, Vaughn JE (1983) Organization and morphological characterization of cholinergic neurons: an immunocytochemical study with a monoclonal antibody to choline acetyltransferase. Brain Res 266:97–119
Huettner JE, Baughman RW (1986) Primary culture of identified neurons from the visual cortex of postnatal rats. J Neurosci 6:3044–3060
Ifune CK, Steinbach JH (1991) Voltage-dependent block by magnesium of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor channels in rat pheochromocytoma cells. J Physiol (Lond) 443:683–701
Jaramillo F, Schuetze SM (1988) Kinetic differences between embryonic- and adult-type acetylcholine receptors in rat myotubes. J Physiol (Lond) 396:267–296
Johnson CD, Epstein ML (1986) Monoclonal antibodies and polyvalent antiserum to chicken choline acetyltransferase. J Neurochem 46:968–976
Kidokoro Y (1988) Developmental changes in acetylcholine receptor channel properties of vertebrate skeletal muscle. Ion Channels 1:163–182
Kidokoro Y, Bohrbough J (1990) Acetylcholine receptors channels in xenopus myocyte culture; brief opening, brief closures and slow desensitization. J Physiol (Lond) 425:227–244
Lena C, Changeux JP, Mulle C (1993) Evidence for preterminal nicotinic receptors on GABAergic axons in the rat interpeduncular nucleus. J Neurosci 13:2680–2688
Levey AI, Hallanger AE, Wainer BH (1987) Choline acetyltransferase in the rat thalamus. J Comp Neurol 257:317–332
Lipscombe D, Rang HP (1988) Nicotinic receptors of frog ganglia resemble pharmacologically those of skeletal muscle. J Neurosci 8:3258–3265
Listerud M, Brussaard AB, Devay P, Colman DR, Role LW (1991) Functional contribution of individual neuronal nAChR subunits revealed by antisense oligonucleotides. Science 254:1518–1521
Loring RH, Aizenman E, Lipton SA, Zigmond RE (1989) Characterization of nicotinic receptors in chick retina using a snake venom neurotoxin that blocks neuronal nicotinic receptors function. J Neurosci 9:2423–2431
Lu B, Fu WM, Greengard P, Poo MM (1993) Calcitonin generelated peptide potentiates synaptic responses at developing neuromuscular junction. Nature 363:76–79
Luetje CW, Patrick J, Seguela P (1990) Nicotine receptors in the mammalian brain. FASEB J 4:2753–2760
Luetje CW, Wada K, Roger S, Abramson SN, Tsuji K, Heinemann S, Patrick J (1990) Neurotoxin distinguish between different neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors subunit combinations. J Neurochem 55:632–640
Margiotta JF, Gurantz D (1989) Changes in the number, function, and regulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors during neuronal development. Dev Biol 135:326–339
Mathie A, Colquhoun D, Cull-Candy SG (1990) Rectification of current activated by nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in rats sympathetic ganglion neurones. J Physiol (Lond) 427:625–655
Mathie A, Cull-Candy SG, Colquhoun D (1991) Conductance and kinetic properties of single nicotinic acetylcholine receptor channels in rat sympathetic neurons. J Physiol (Lond) 439:717–750
Matter JM, Sadzinski LM, Ballivet M (1990) Expression of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors genes in the developing chick visual system. EMBO J 9:1021–1026
Middleton P, Rubin LL, Schuetze SM (1988) Modulation of acetylcholine receptor desensitization in rat myotubes. J Neurosci 8:3405–3412
Morris BJ, Hick AA, Wisden W, Darlison MG, Hunt SP, Barnard EA (1990) Distinct regional expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors genes in chick brain. Mol Brain Res 7:305–315
Moss BL, Role LW (1993) Enhanced ACh sensitivity is accompanied by changes in ACh receptor channel properties and segregation of ACh receptor subtypes on sympathetic neurons during innervation in vivo. J Neurosci 13:13–28
Moss BL, Schuetze SM, Role LW (1989) Functional properties and developmental regulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on embryonic chicken sympathetic neurons. Neuron 3:597–607
Mulle C, Changeux JP (1990) A novel type of nicotinic receptors in the rat central nervous system characterized by patchtechniques. J Neurosci 10:169–175
Mulle C, Vidal C, Benoit P, Changeux JP (1991) Existence of different subtypes of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the rat habenulo-interpeduncular system. J Neurosci 11:2588–2592
Nakayama HN, Shirasi M, Nakashima T, Kurogochi Y, Lindstrom JM (1990) Affinity purification of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor from rat brain. Mol Brain Res 7:221–226
Reference deleted
Owens JL, Kullberg R (1989) Three conductance classes of nicotinic acetylcholin receptors are expressed in developing amphibian skeletal muscle. J Neurosci 9:2573–2580
Papke RL, Heinemann SF (1991) The role of theβ4-subunit in determining the kinetic properties of rat neuronal nicotinic acetylcholineα3 receptors. J Physiol (Lond) 440:95–112
Papke RL, Boulter J, Patrick J, Heinemann S (1989) Single-channel current of rat neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors expressed in xenopus oocytes. Neuron 3:589–596
Ramirez-Latorre JA, Qu X, Karlin A, Role L (1993) Participation ofα5 in neuronal nicotinic AChR channels. Soc Neurosci Abstr 19:1533(630.8)
Rohrbough J, Kidokoro Y (1990) Changes in kinetic acetylcholine receptors channels after initial expression in xenopus myocyte culture. J Physiol (Lond) 425:245–269
Role LW (1984) Substance P modulation of acetylcholine-induced currents in embryonic chicken sympathetic and ciliary ganglion neurons in vitro. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 81:2924–2928
Role LW (1992) Diversity in primary structure and function of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor channels. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2:254–262
Sargent PB (1993) The diversity of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Annu Rev Neurosci 16:403–443 51. Reference deleted
Silman I, Karlin A (1969) Acetylcholine receptor covalent attachment of depolarizing groups at the active site. Science 164:1420–1421
Snedecor GW, Cochran WG (1967) In: Statistical methods, 6th edn, Iowa University Press, p 329
Sorenson EM, Chiappinelli VA (1990) Intracellular recording in avian brain of a nicotinic response that is intensive to k-bungarotoxin. Neuron 5:307–315
Sorenson EM, Parkinson D, Dahl JL, Chiappinelli VA (1989) Immunohistochemical localization of choline acetyltransferase in the chicken mesencephalon. J Comp Neurol 281:641–657
Swanson LW, Lindstrom J, Tzartos S, Schmued LC, O'Leary DDM, Cowan WM (1983) Immunohistochemical localization of monoclonal antibodies to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the chick midbrain. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 80:4532–4536
Vernino S, Amador M, Luetje CW, Patrick J, Dani JA (1992) Calcium modulation and high calcium permeability of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Neuron 8:127–134
Wada E, McKinnon D, Heinemann S, Patrick J, Swanson LW (1990) The distribution of mRNA encoded by a new member of the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors gene family (α5) in the rat central nervous system. Brain Res 526:45–53
Wada E, Wada K, Boulter J, Deneris E, Heinemann S, Patrick J, Swanson LW (1990) Distribution ofα2,α3,α4, andβ2 neuronal nicotinic receptors subunit mRNAs in the central nervous system: a hybridization histochemical study in the rat. J Comp Neurol 284:314–335
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Brussaard, A.B., Yang, X., Doyle, J.P. et al. Developmental regulation of multiple nicotinic AChR channel subtypes in embryonic chick habenula neurons: contributions of both theα2 andα4 subunit genes. Pflugers Arch. 429, 27–43 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02584027
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02584027