TABLE 4

Specificity of the antibodies used in these immunoprecipitation studies Native tissues and/or stably transfected cell lines that express the defined nAChRs indicated were used to estimate the efficacy and test the specificity of each of the antibodies used in the immunoprecipitation studies described here. All of the antibodies were effective in immunoprecipitating [3H]EB-labeled nAChRs containing their cognate nAChR subunit (as indicated under Positive Tissues), and each displayed a high degree of specificity (as indicated by the low immunoprecipitation under Negative Control Tissues). Data represent the mean ± S.E.M. of 3 to 14 separate experiments.

Antibody Positive Tissues Negative Control Tissues
α2 α2β4 cells 85 ± 5% n = 4 Pineal gland (α3β4)a <1% n = 3
Cerebral cortex (α4β2)b <1% n = 3
α3β4 cells <1% n = 3
α3 Pineal gland 99 ± 1% n = 6 α2β4 cells <1% n = 3
Sup cervical ganglia 92 ± 2% n = 3 α4β2 cells <1% n = 3
α4 Cerebral cortex 83 ± 5% n = 10 Pineal gland <1% n = 3
α3β4 cells <1% n = 3
α6 Superior colliculus 25 ± 1% n = 3 Cerebral cortex <2% n = 4
Pineal gland <1% n = 5
α3β4 cells <2% n = 3
β2 Cerebral cortex 94 ± 7% n = 14 Pineal gland <2% n = 4
α4β2 cells 99 ± 1% n = 2 α2β4 cells <2% n = 3
α3β4 cells <2% n = 3
β4 Pineal gland 100 ± 3% n = 6 Cerebral cortex <2% n = 4
α4β2 cells <1% n = 3
β3 Striatum 8 ± 1% n = 4 Pineal gland <1% n = 3
Superior colliculus 9 ± 1% n = 7 Cerebral cortex <2% n = 3