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  • Title: Spontaneous and agonist-induced openings of an acetylcholine receptor channel composed of bovine muscle alpha-, beta- and delta-subunits.
    Author: Jackson MB, Imoto K, Mishina M, Konno T, Numa S, Sakmann B.
    Journal: Pflugers Arch; 1990 Oct; 417(2):129-35. PubMed ID: 1707514.
    Abstract:
    During the development of mammalian muscle the gamma-subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) is replaced by the epsilon-subunit to produce well-defined alterations in the conductance and gating of the channel. To gain a better understanding of the functional role of the gamma- and epsilon-subunits, we have studied the properties of an AChR channel lacking these subunits. The AChR expressed in Xenopus oocytes injected with the bovine alpha-, beta- and delta-subunit-specific mRNAs (referred to as alpha beta delta-AChR) is unusual in that its channel opens spontaneously at a high frequency in the absence of agonist. From a comparison of the alpha beta delta-AChR with complete receptors containing either the gamma- or epsilon-subunit, we conclude that the gamma- and epsilon-subunits influence most channel properties, including agonist binding, and are especially important for stabilizing the closed state of the unliganded receptor channel. The alpha beta delta-AChR can form when a complete set of four subunit-specific mRNAs is injected. The ease with which it is assembled raises the possibility that the alpha beta delta-AChR contributes to some of the variations in receptor properties that occur during development.
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