A cloned Drosophila muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) has been stably expressed in a Drosophila cell line (S2) under the control of an inducible Drosophila metallothionein promoter. A clonal cell line (S2-Dm1-1) has been isolated which, after induction of mAChR expression with CuSO4, exhibits high-affinity, saturable, specific binding of the muscarinic antagonist N-methyl scopolamine (N...

In this study, the muscarinic cholinergic receptor (MAChR)-evoked inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3)-mediated increase of cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca]i) in synaptoneurosomes from brain cortex of adult and aged rats was investigated. In addition, the effect of two beta-amyloid (A beta) peptides, 1-28 and 25-35, on the resting and MAChR-induced increase of [Ca]i in brain cortex synaptone...

Internalization and phosphorylation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) are considered two important regulatory events of receptor signal transduction. In Fischer rat thyroid (FRT) epithelial cells, we have shown that muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) stimulation induces intracellular Ca2+ mobilization via Ca2+ store release, capacitative Ca2+ entry and voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels...

In addition to its function as an excitatory neurotransmitter, glutamate plays a major role as an osmolyte within the central nervous system (CNS). Accordingly, mechanisms that regulate glutamate release and uptake are of physiological importance not only during conditions in which cell volume remains constant but also when cells are subjected to hypoosmotic stress. In the present study, the ab...

PURPOSE The activation and blockade of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) affects retinal ganglion cell light responses and firing rates. This study was undertaken to identify the full complement of mAChRs expressed in the rabbit retina and to assess mAChR distribution and the functional effects of mAChR activation and blockade on retinal response properties. METHODS RT-PCR, Western ...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurological disorder that causes dementia and poses a major public health crisis as the population ages. Aberrant processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) is strongly implicated as a proximal event in AD pathophysiology, but the neurochemical signals that regulate APP processing in the brain are not completely understood. Activation of muscari...

The internalization of the M(2) muscarinic cholinergic receptor (mAChR) proceeds through an atypical pathway that is independent of arrestin and clathrin function and shows a unique sensitivity to dynamin when the receptor is expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. In this report we demonstrate that the internalization of the M(2) mAChR was modulated by activation of heterotrimeric G pro...

Repetitive behaviors with restricted interests is one of the core criteria for the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Current pharmacotherapies that target the dopaminergic or serotonergic systems have limited effectiveness in treating repetitive behaviors. Previous research has demonstrated that administration of muscarinic cholinergic receptor (mAChR) antagonists can exacerbate moto...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) are 7-transmembrane, G protein-coupled receptors that regulate a variety of physiological processes and represent potentially important targets for therapeutic intervention. mAChRs can be stimulated by full and partial orthosteric and allosteric agonists, however the relative abilities of such ligands to induce conformational ...

Activation of muscarinic subtype 3 (M3) muscarinic cholinergic receptors (mAChRs) increases airway tone, whereas its blockade improves lung function and quality of life in patients with pulmonary diseases. The present study evaluated the pharmacological properties of a novel mAChR antagonist, GSK573719 (4-[hydroxy(diphenyl)methyl]-1-{2-[(phenylmethyl)oxy]ethyl}-1-azoniabicyclo[2.2.2]octane; ume...