Elsevier

Brain Research

Volume 852, Issue 2, 10 January 2000, Pages 463-469
Brain Research

Short communication
A comparative non-radioactive in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical study of the distribution of α7 and α8 subunits of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in visual areas of the chick brain

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-8993(99)02082-XGet rights and content

Abstract

The distribution of mRNA transcripts corresponding to the α7 and α8 subunits of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) was studied in selected structures of the chick visual system with non-radioactive in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical techniques. The results indicated that the α7 and α8 nAChR transcripts are widely distributed in the brain, exhibiting differential expression in some structures but also some degree of co-localization. The pattern of localization of α7 and α8 nAChR transcripts was highly correlated with immunohistochemical data, with very few instances of possible mismatches between the distribution of mRNAs and their corresponding proteins.

Section snippets

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by FAPESP, CNPq, and PRONEX/MCT (L.R.G.B. and D.E.H.B.) and NIH, STRC, and MDA (J.M.L.). We also thank H.J. Karten and K.T. Keyser for helpful comments in regard to some preliminary experiments and R. Anand for the preparation of RNA probes. T.H.O.L. and A.S.T. were the recipients of doctoral fellowships from FAPESP (Brazil).

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