Skip to main content
Advertisement

Main menu

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Current Issue
    • Fast Forward
    • Latest Articles
    • Special Sections
    • Archive
  • Information
    • Instructions to Authors
    • Submit a Manuscript
    • FAQs
    • For Subscribers
    • Terms & Conditions of Use
    • Permissions
  • Editorial Board
  • Alerts
    • Alerts
    • RSS Feeds
  • Virtual Issues
  • Feedback
  • Submit
  • Other Publications
    • Drug Metabolism and Disposition
    • Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
    • Molecular Pharmacology
    • Pharmacological Reviews
    • Pharmacology Research & Perspectives
    • ASPET

User menu

  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Molecular Pharmacology
  • Other Publications
    • Drug Metabolism and Disposition
    • Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
    • Molecular Pharmacology
    • Pharmacological Reviews
    • Pharmacology Research & Perspectives
    • ASPET
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart
Molecular Pharmacology

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Current Issue
    • Fast Forward
    • Latest Articles
    • Special Sections
    • Archive
  • Information
    • Instructions to Authors
    • Submit a Manuscript
    • FAQs
    • For Subscribers
    • Terms & Conditions of Use
    • Permissions
  • Editorial Board
  • Alerts
    • Alerts
    • RSS Feeds
  • Virtual Issues
  • Feedback
  • Submit
  • Visit molpharm on Facebook
  • Follow molpharm on Twitter
  • Follow molpharm on LinkedIn
Research ArticleArticle

The Nicotinic Receptor in the Rat Pineal Gland Is an α3β4 Subtype

Susan C. Hernandez, Stefano Vicini, Yingxian Xiao, Martha I. Dávila-García, Robert P. Yasuda, Barry B. Wolfe and Kenneth J. Kellar
Molecular Pharmacology October 2004, 66 (4) 978-987; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1124/mol.104.002345
Susan C. Hernandez
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Stefano Vicini
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Yingxian Xiao
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Martha I. Dávila-García
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Robert P. Yasuda
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Barry B. Wolfe
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Kenneth J. Kellar
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

The rat pineal gland contains a high density of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). We characterized the pharmacology of the binding sites and function of these receptors, measured the nAChR subunit mRNA, and used subunit-specific antibodies to establish the receptor subtype as defined by subunit composition. In ligand binding studies, [3H]epibatidine ([3H]EB) binds with an affinity of ∼100 pM to nAChRs in the pineal gland, and the density of these sites is ∼5 times that in rat cerebral cortex. The affinities of nicotinic drugs for binding sites in the pineal gland are similar to those at α3β4 nAChRs heterologously expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. In functional studies, the potencies and efficacies of nicotinic drugs to activate or block whole-cell currents in dissociated pinealocytes match closely their potencies and efficacies to activate or block 86Rb+ efflux in the cells expressing heterologous α3β4 nAChRs. Measurements of mRNA indicated the presence of transcripts for α3, β2, and β4 nAChR subunits but not those for α2, α4, α5, α6, α7, or β3 subunits. Immunoprecipitation with subunit-specific antibodies showed that virtually all [3H]EB-labeled nAChRs contained α3 and β4 subunits associated in one complex. The β2 subunit was not associated with this complex. Taken together, these results indicate that virtually all of the nAChRs in the rat pineal gland are the α3β4 nAChR subtype and that the pineal gland can therefore serve as an excellent and convenient model in which to study the pharmacology and function of these receptors in a native tissue.

  • Received May 5, 2004.
  • Accepted July 8, 2004.
  • The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
View Full Text

MolPharm articles become freely available 12 months after publication, and remain freely available for 5 years. 

Non-open access articles that fall outside this five year window are available only to institutional subscribers and current ASPET members, or through the article purchase feature at the bottom of the page. 

 

  • Click here for information on institutional subscriptions.
  • Click here for information on individual ASPET membership.

 

Log in using your username and password

Forgot your user name or password?

Purchase access

You may purchase access to this article. This will require you to create an account if you don't already have one.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Molecular Pharmacology: 66 (4)
Molecular Pharmacology
Vol. 66, Issue 4
1 Oct 2004
  • Table of Contents
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for sharing this Molecular Pharmacology article.

NOTE: We request your email address only to inform the recipient that it was you who recommended this article, and that it is not junk mail. We do not retain these email addresses.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
The Nicotinic Receptor in the Rat Pineal Gland Is an α3β4 Subtype
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from Molecular Pharmacology
(Your Name) thought you would be interested in this article in Molecular Pharmacology.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
Research ArticleArticle

The Nicotinic Receptor in the Rat Pineal Gland Is an α3β4 Subtype

Susan C. Hernandez, Stefano Vicini, Yingxian Xiao, Martha I. Dávila-García, Robert P. Yasuda, Barry B. Wolfe and Kenneth J. Kellar
Molecular Pharmacology October 1, 2004, 66 (4) 978-987; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1124/mol.104.002345

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero

Share
Research ArticleArticle

The Nicotinic Receptor in the Rat Pineal Gland Is an α3β4 Subtype

Susan C. Hernandez, Stefano Vicini, Yingxian Xiao, Martha I. Dávila-García, Robert P. Yasuda, Barry B. Wolfe and Kenneth J. Kellar
Molecular Pharmacology October 1, 2004, 66 (4) 978-987; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1124/mol.104.002345
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • Materials and Methods
    • Results
    • Discussion
    • Acknowledgments
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF

Related Articles

Cited By...

More in this TOC Section

  • The binding site for KCI807 in the androgen receptor
  • Fatty acid amide hydrolase in cisplatin nephrotoxicity
  • eCB Signaling System in hiPSC-Derived Neuronal Cultures
Show more Article

Similar Articles

Advertisement
  • Home
  • Alerts
Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   RSS

Navigate

  • Current Issue
  • Fast Forward by date
  • Fast Forward by section
  • Latest Articles
  • Archive
  • Search for Articles
  • Feedback
  • ASPET

More Information

  • About Molecular Pharmacology
  • Editorial Board
  • Instructions to Authors
  • Submit a Manuscript
  • Customized Alerts
  • RSS Feeds
  • Subscriptions
  • Permissions
  • Terms & Conditions of Use

ASPET's Other Journals

  • Drug Metabolism and Disposition
  • Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
  • Pharmacological Reviews
  • Pharmacology Research & Perspectives
ISSN 1521-0111 (Online)

Copyright © 2023 by the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics