Variation of nicotinic binding sites among inbred strains

https://doi.org/10.1016/0091-3057(89)90407-3Get rights and content

Abstract

The specific binding of L-nicotine and α-bungarotoxin, two ligands which label differemt populations of putative nicotinic receptors, was determined in eigth brain regions of 19 inbred mouse strains. The dissociation constants for L-nicotine (average = 2.26 nM) and α-bungarotoxin (average = 0.31 nM) did not vary significantly among the brain regions or strains. In contrast, significant variability among the maximal binding sites was observed between regions and among the strains within a region. Significant differences in L-nicotine binding were observed among the strains in midbrain, hindbrain, hippocampus, hypothalamus and colliculi, while little variability was noted in cortex or cerebellum. In general, those strains that had high L-nicotine binding in one region had high nicotine binding in the other regions. The strains clustered into two large groups: one group expressing relatively low binding and a second group expressing relatively high binding. Significant differences in α-bungarotoxin binding were observed in seven of the eight regions measured and, in general, those strains with high binding in one region tended to have high binding in the other regions. The strains clustered into three groups: those with low binding (DBA/1 and DBA/2), those with high binding (ST/b alone) and those with intermediate binding (the remaining 16 strains). The amount of binding of the two ligands did not correlate with each other. Comparison of nicotinic ligand binding with physiological response to nicotine suggests a relationship of L-nicotine binding with several responses observed after injection of low doses of nicotine and a relationship between α-bungarotoxin binding and nicotine-induced seizures.

References (28)

  • B.M. Conti-Tronconi et al.

    Brain and muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and different but homologous proteins

  • L.G. Costa et al.

    [3H]Nicotine binding in rat brain: alteration after chronic acetylcholinesterase inhibition

    J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther.

    (1983)
  • P.M. Lipiello et al.

    The binding of L-[3H]nicotine to a single class of high affinity site in rat brain membranes

    Mol. Pharmacol.

    (1986)
  • R.J. Lukas

    Properties of curaremimetic neurotoxin binding sites in the rat central nervous system

    Biochemistry

    (1984)
  • Cited by (98)

    • Genetic knockout of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene alters hippocampal long-term potentiation in a background strain-dependent manner

      2016, Neuroscience Letters
      Citation Excerpt :

      Thus our data confirms other studies that knockout of the α7nAChR does not impair LTP in adult C57 mice [20,21,41], although LTP impairment was noted in aged α7 KO mice on this background [41]. As mentioned above, WT Chrna7 gene expression is approximately 15% higher in C3H than in C57 [19]. However, other differentially-expressed genes between these two strains might also account for plasticity differences in WT animals, as well as for differential impacts and compensatory and/or adaptive mechanisms in α7 KO animals.

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text