Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes expression during rat retina development and their regulation by visual experience

By acting through retinal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), acetylcholine plays an important role in the develop-ment of both the retina and central visual pathways. Ligand binding and immunoprecipitation studies with subunit-specific antibodies showed that the expression of Bungarotoxin (Bgtx) and high-affinity epibatidine (Epi) receptors is regulated developmentally and increases until postnatal day 21 (P21). The increase in Epi receptors is caused by a selective increase in the subtypes containing the 2, 4, 6, 2, and 3 subunits. Immunopurification studies revealed three major populations of Epi receptors on P21: 6 * receptors (26%), which contain the 632, 6432, and 63/232 subtypes; 4(non-6)* receptors (60%), which contain the 242 and 42 sub-types; and (non-4/non-6) * receptors (14%), which contai