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Vol. 61, Issue 3, 695-705, March 2002

Increased Sensitivity to Nicotine-Induced Seizures in Mice Expressing the L250T alpha 7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Mutation

Ron S. Broide, Ramiro Salas, Daoyun Ji, Richard Paylor, James W. Patrick, John A. Dani, and Mariella De Biasi

Division of Neuroscience (R.S.B., R.S., D.J., R.P., J.W.P., J.A.D., M.D.B.) and Department of Molecular and Human Genetics (R.P.), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas

High doses of nicotine, the addictive component of tobacco, induce clonic-tonic seizures in animals. Pharmacological and biochemical data have suggested that alpha 7-containing neuronal nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) contribute to these seizures. To study potential alpha 7 contributions, we examined alpha 7 subunits with a Leu250-to-Thr substitution in the channel domain, which creates a gain-of-function mutation. Previous studies have shown that mice homozygous for the alpha 7 L250T mutation (T/T) die shortly after birth, but animals heterozygous for the mutation (+/T) are viable and grow to adulthood. Hippocampal neurons from the +/T mice exhibited altered alpha 7-type currents with increased amplitudes and slower desensitization kinetics, confirming a partial gain of function for the alpha 7 nAChR. We found that +/T mice were more sensitive to the convulsant effects of nicotine compared with their wild-type (+/+) littermates. Furthermore, although their behavior was normal in basal conditions, +/T mice showed a unique nicotine-induced phenotype, consisting of head-bobbing and paw-tapping movements. Increased sensitivity to nicotine-induced seizures occurred despite a 60% decline in brain alpha 7 nAChR protein levels. There were no changes in the levels of alpha 4, alpha 5, alpha 6, alpha 7, beta 2, and beta 4 mRNA, or in [125I]epibatidine and [3H]nicotine binding between +/T and +/+ mice. Recent data from our laboratory show that alpha 7-null mice maintain normal sensitivity to nicotine-induced seizures. Hence, these present findings suggest that alterations in the properties rather than absence of alpha 7 nAChRs might affect the mechanisms underlying the convulsive properties of nicotine.


Copyright © 2002 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics



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