NAChR activation

Nicotine is an agonist at the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR). Activation of this receptor depolarizes target cells (see Ch. 11). nAChRs are composed of five subunits surrounding a central ion-channel pore. Twelve different nicotinic receptor subunits are expressed in the nervous system (a2-oclO and (32—134). Of these, a subset is expressed in the VTA (a3-a7 and P2—134). It is thought that a7 receptors form homomeric receptors a3, a4 and a6 form heteromeric channels with 02 or 04 and a5 and 03 can associate with other a/0 pairs. Studies in knockout mice implicate several subunits in the ability of nicotine to modulate dopamine neurons (a4, a6, a7, 02, 03) but... 

The aptamers obtained against the nAChR either are biologically active by themselves and inhibit the muscle-type nAChR activity as cocaine does or are by them biologically inactive and, therefore, protect the receptor against inhibition by cocaine (25). 

In the peripheral (Wessler 1989) as well as central (Wonnacott 1997) nervous system, presynaptic nicotinic autoreceptors were reported to control the release of acetylcholine. In both locations, the consequence of presynaptic nAChR activation most commonly is an increase in both spontaneous and evoked acetylcholine release (MacDermott et al. 1999), whereas presynaptic muscarinic receptors mediate the opposite effect, an autoinhibition. Recent studies have focused on the composition of presynaptic nAChRs (Table 2). In the hippocampus, nicotinic autoreceptors were suggested to be a3/p4 receptors (Tani et al. 1998), but a role of p2 subunits has also been implicated (Lloyd et al. 1998). Likewise, in the neocortex, presynaptic nicotinic autoreceptors are likely to be 04/ p2 receptors (Marchi et al. 2002). In contrast, in the interpeduncular nucleus the autoreceptors were suggested to mainly contain a3 and p4 subunits (Grady et al. 2001). 

Wang D, Noda Y, Zhou Y, Nitta A, Furukawa H, Nabeshima T (2007) Synergistic effect of combined treatment with risperidone and galantamine on phencyclidine-induced impairment of latent visuospatial learning and memory Role of nAChR activation-dependent increase of dopamine D1 receptor-mediated neurotransmission. Neuropharmacology 53 379-389. 

Acetylcholine. Acetylcholiae (ACh) (1) is a crystalliae material that is very soluble ia water and alcohol. ACh, synthesized by the enzyme choline acetyltransferase (3), iateracts with two main classes of receptor ia mammals muscarinic (mAChR), defiaed oa the basis of the agonist activity of the alkaloid muscarine (4), and nicotinic (nAChR), based on the agonist activity of nicotine (5) (Table 1). m AChRs are GPCRs (21) n AChRs are LGICs (22). 

A systematic nomenclature for nAChRs has yet to evolve. An N nomenclature describes receptors present ia muscle as N. These are activated by phenyltrimethylammonium (PTMA) (15) and blocked by t5 -tubocurariae (16) and a-bungarotoxiu (a-BgT) (17). N2 receptors are present ia ganglia and are activated by l,l-dimethyl-4-phenylpipera2inium (DMPP) (18) and blocked by trimethaphan (19) and bis-quatemary agents, with hexamethonium (20) being the most potent. 

Agonists activate nAChR by binding to the agonistbinding site (Fig. 1). They can remain bound (often with higher affinity) when the nAChR enters the desensitised state. 

Neonicotinoids are potent broad-spectrum insecticides that exhibit contact, stomach and systemic activity. Acetamiprid, imidacloprid, nitenpyram, thiamethoxam and thiacloprid are representatives of the neonicotinoid insecticides (Figure 1). The mechanism of action is similar to that of nicotine, acting on the central nervous system causing irreversible blocking of postsynaptic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR). Neonicotinoid insecticides are often categorized as antagonists of the... 

The simplest agonist mechanism that can be used to describe activation of the ligand-gated ion-channel receptors is that first suggested by del Castillo and Katz (1957) for activation of nAChRs at the neuromuscular junction ... 

Studies in knockout mice indicate that the p2 nAChRs are necessary for nicotine self-administration, DA-dependent locomotor activation, and nicotine-associated enhancement of NAc DA release.40-51 53 Combined with studies showing that antagonism of the high-affinity nAChRs block self-administration,44-54 it would appear that p2 nAChRs are particularly critical for nicotine reinforcement. Unlike wild-type mice that self-administer both cocaine and nicotine, p2 nAChR-null mutant mice learn to self-administer cocaine normally, but stop bar pressing as though receiving saline when cocaine is switched to nicotine.40 Self-administration of VTA nicotine and associated DA release is rescued, however, in p2 nAChR knockout mice with lentiviral-mediated expression of P2 subunit DNA in the VTA.55 Whereas several configurations of the p2 nAChRs exist at the... 

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