The influence of bilateral electrolytic lesions of different parts of the septum on muscarinic receptor binding in the hippocampus was studied within 14-21 days after operation. The effect of total septal lesion upon receptor binding was also investigated separately in the dorsal and ventral hippocampus and in five consecutive hippocampal parts along the septotemporal axis of the structure. The...

The human M(3) muscarinic acetylcholine receptor is present in both the central and peripheral nervous system, and it is involved in the pathophysiology of several neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases. We suggested a possible N-glycosylation map for the M(3) muscarinic receptor expressed in COS-7 cells. Here, we examined the role that N-linked glycans play in the folding and in the cell su...

The main purpose of this study was to determine whether one or both of the muscarinic receptor subtypes (M1 and M2) contributed to the total cholinergic receptor loss found in trimethyltin (TMT) treated rats and to assess the effect of TMT on phencyclidine (PCP) receptor density in several regions of the rat brain. The distribution and changes in muscarinic (M1 and M2) receptor and PCP receptor...

AC2 (adenylate cyclase 2) is stimulated by activation of Gq-coupled muscarinic receptors through PKC (protein kinase C) to generate localized cAMP in HEK (human embryonic kidney)-293 cells. In the present study, we utilized a sensitive live-cell imaging technique to unravel the proteins that play essential roles in a Gq-coupled muscarinic receptor-mediated cAMP signalling complex. We reveal tha...

The muscarinic acetylcholine M1 receptor protein is known to play a role in hippocampal-based and shortterm memory. It has been shown to improve cognition and modify Alzheimer’s disease (AD) properties in animal models. As a result, muscarinic M1 agonism has been identified as a target for AD treatment. Initial drug development programs targeting the muscarinic M1 receptor were curtailed by una...

KCNQ (Kv7) channels underlie a voltage-gated K(+) current best known for control of neuronal excitability, and its inhibition by Gq/11-coupled, muscarinic signaling. Studies have indicated expression of KCNQ channels in airway smooth muscle (ASM), a tissue that is predominantly regulated by muscarinic receptor signaling. Therefore, we investigated the function of KCNQ channels in rodent ASM and...

Acetylcholine may play a role in cell activation and airway inflammation. We evaluated the levels of both mRNA and protein of muscarinic M(1), M(2), M(3) receptors in human bronchial epithelial cell line (16HBE). 16HBE cells were also stimulated with acetylcholine and extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2) and NFkB pathway activation as well as the IL-8 release was assessed in the pr...

The subfornical organ (SFO) is sensitive to both ANG II and ACh, and local application of these agents produces dipsogenic responses and vasopressin release. The present study examined the effects of cholinergic drugs, ANG II, and increased extracellular osmolarity on dissociated, cultured cells of the SFO that were retrogradely labeled from the supraoptic nucleus. The effects were measured as ...

Under physiological circumstances, cellular responses often reflect integration of signaling by two or more different receptors activated coincidentally or sequentially. In addition to heterologous desensitization, there are examples in which receptor activation either reveals or potentiates signaling by a different receptor type, although this is perhaps less well explored. Here, we characteri...

The process of programmed cell death (or apoptosis) occurs widely in tissue maintenance and embryonic development, and is under tight regulatory control. It is now clear that one of the important regulators of apoptosis are G-protein-coupled receptors. In the present study, we investigate the regulatory mechanism employed by the Gq/11-coupled M3-muscarinic receptor in mediating an anti-apoptoti...