Abundant extrasynaptic expression of α3β4-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the medial habenula-interpeduncular nucleus pathway in mice.

ABSTRACT: Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the medial habenula (MHb)-interpeduncular nucleus (IPN) pathway play critical roles in nicotine-related behaviors. This pathway is particularly enriched in nAChR α3 and β4 subunits, both of which are genetically linked to nicotine dependence. However, the cellular and subcellular expression of endogenous α3β4-containing nAChRs remains largely unknown because specific antibodies and appropriate detection methods were unavailable. Here, we successfully uncovered the expression of endogenous nAChRs containing α3 and β4 subunits in the MHb-IPN pathway using novel specific antibodies and a fixative glyoxal that enables simultaneous detection of synaptic and extrasynaptic molecules. Immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy revealed that both

SUBMITTER: Tsuzuki A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11189931 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature