Nonequivalence of Alpha-bungarotoxin Receptors and Acetylcholine Receptors in Chick Sympathetic Neurons

Overview

Journal Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Specialty Science

Date 1978 Feb 1

PMID 416436

Citations 20

Authors

S T Carbonetto

D M Fambrough

K J Muller

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

alpha-Bungarotoxin binds selectively to chick sympathetic neurons that are responsive iontophoretically applied acetylcholine. alpha-Bungarotoxin (125 nM) does not affect the response of cultured neurons to acetylcholine, nor does it affect a cholinergic synaptic potential recorded from sympathetic ganglia. d-Tubocurarine (100 muM) inhibits alpha-bungarotoxin binding and blocks acetylcholine receptor function in both preparations, but alpha-bungarotoxin does not protect acetylcholine receptors against d-tubocurarine blockade of acetylcholine responses. The receptor for alpha-bungarotoxin can be extracted from neuronal membranes with nonionic detergents and, when assayed by velocity sedimentation in sucrose gradients, sediments at a rate faster than that of skeletal muscle acetylcholine receptors. Treatment of alpha-bungarotoxin-receptor complexes with glutaraldehyde (0.1%, wt/vol) increases their stability from a half-time for dissociation of 3.5 hr to greater than 6 days at 23 degrees. This permits a quantitative assay of alpha-bungarotoxin-receptor complexes after relatively long periods of velocity sedimentation. It is concluded that alpha-bungarotoxin does not bind to the acetylcholine-binding site of neuronal acetylcholine receptors. These results compel a reevaluation of studies that assume that alpha-bungarotoxin is a specific ligand for neuronal acetylcholine receptors.

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