Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Study

Diurnal Variations in the Cholinergic System of the Nucleus Accumbens

This study investigates diurnal variations in cholinergic interneuron activity and nicotinic signaling in the nucleus accumbens using electrophysiological recordings in rodents.

6-Methylnicotine is a strong agonist at α4β2 and α3β4 nicotinic cholinergic receptors

This study compares 6-Methylnicotine and nicotine's effects on α4β2 and α3β4 nicotinic cholinergic receptors, finding 6-MN is more potent and upregulates these receptors.

Nicotinic control of dopamine release shapes striatal output and engages adaptive action selection.

This study shows that nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in midbrain neurons control dopamine release in the striatum, affecting reward learning and action selection in mice.

Nicotinic modulation of frontal circuits breaks the cycle of attentional performance failure

The paper identifies a cholinergic mechanism in frontal circuits that restores attentional performance after repeated errors in a mouse model.

A human CHRNA6 3' UTR variant alters the molecular environment and microRNA engagement of the adolescent VTA without changing Chrna6 transcript abundance

This study identifies a non-coding variant in CHRNA6 that affects miRNA engagement and transcriptional networks in the adolescent VTA without altering transcript abundance.

Focal drug uncaging for the precise control of endogenous nicotinic receptors in behaving mice

This paper introduces a method to control endogenous nicotinic receptors in mice using light-activated drug release, revealing circuit-specific effects previously hidden by systemic administration.

Beta2* Nicotinic Receptors Regulate Exploratory and Social Behavior Through Functionally Distinct Neuronal Populations

Beta2 nicotinic receptor knockdown in Htr3a-Cre mouse interneurons gave strong hypersociability; prefrontal NPY-Cre neurons, weaker effects (reduced social preference); striatal NPY neurons, slight effects mostly opposite to those.

Anatomical and functional organisation of the cholinergic nervous system in the tunicate Botryllus schlosseri

This study maps the anatomical and functional organization of the cholinergic system in Botryllus schlosseri, revealing a dual-effector system coordinating muscular and ciliary networks.

Down syndrome postmortem brains exhibit reduction in nifene binding to α4β2* nicotinic acetylcholinergic receptors

This study evaluates [18F]nifene binding to α4β2* nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in DSAD, AD, and CN brains, finding reduced binding in DSAD compared to AD and CN.

Cryo-EM Structure of a Triazole alpha-Conotoxin GI Mimetic Bound to the Muscle-Type Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor

The paper designs and characterizes triazole-based peptidomimetics of the -GI conotoxin, showing they retain potency and provide structural insights into their interaction with the muscle-type nAChR.

Reinforcing Nicotine Doses Activate Supramammillary VGluT2 Neurons in Mice

The paper identifies supramammillary VGluT2 neurons expressing β2 nAChR as a circuit engaged by reinforcing nicotine doses in mice.

Allosteric signal initiation and communication in neuromuscular acetylcholine receptors

This study investigates allosteric signal communication in AChRs, showing distinct activation pathways in liganded vs unliganded states and identifying a continuous allosteric network.

Dissociable roles of dopamine D1 and nicotinic receptors in nicotine-motivated responding and impulsive action in a Go/No-Go self-administration task

The copine protein NRA-1 regulates activity-dependent cholinergic signalling and sensory integration in C. elegans

This study identifies NRA-1 as an activity-dependent regulator of cholinergic signalling and sensory integration in C. elegans, showing it modulates receptor gating and behaviour.

β-alanine betaine and nAChRs in Ascaris

This paper identifies β-alanine betaine as an endogenous ligand for specific nicotinic receptors in Ascaris suum, suggesting it could be a novel target for anthelmintic drug development.

Loss of ACTA1 leads to delayed γ-AChR / ε-AChR switch in skeletal muscle in mice

This study shows that loss of ACTA1 in mice delays the switch from γ-AChR to ε-AChR at the neuromuscular junction, affecting postsynaptic receptor maturation despite normal presynaptic function.

Astrocytes mediate the pro-cognitive value of α7nAChRs and of α7nAChR-targeting therapeutics

This study identifies astrocytes and D-serine/NMDAR signaling as key mediators of the cognitive benefits of α7nAChRs and their targeting therapeutics in mice.

Impact of the MX segment on the biogenesis of α7 nACh receptors

The paper identifies conserved residues in the L1-MX segment of the α7 nAChR subunit that regulate its biogenesis through interactions with RIC-3 and NACHO.

Nicotine self-administration increases impulsive action: differential effects of nAChR modulators in a Go/No-Go task

This study shows chronic nicotine increases impulsive action in rats, and nAChR antagonism reduces nicotine-related impulsivity, while agonism does not.

RIC-3 Interacts Directly with the 5-HT3A Receptor to Mediate Trafficking Across Subcellular Compartments

The paper shows RIC-3 interacts with 5-HT3A receptor intracellular domain in native cellular contexts, supporting its role in receptor trafficking and surface expression.

High-frequency axonal bursts mediate bidirectional modulation of dopamine signaling by nicotinic receptors

This study shows that nicotinic receptors modulate dopamine signaling by both enhancing and suppressing axonal activity through bidirectional mechanisms.

Structures of muscle-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptor with α-conotoxins reveal determinants of receptor-subtype specificity

The paper determines the molecular basis of -conotoxin specificity for muscle-type nAChRs using cryo-EM structures and computational methods.

Alteration of empathy-related behaviors in two strains of mice expressing mutations of the α5 cholinergic nicotinic receptor subunit

This study examines the impact of α5 nAChR mutations on empathy-related behaviors in mice, finding sex-dependent effects on emotion recognition and prosocial behavior.

Mechanism of Alkaline Gating in a Pentameric Ion Channel

This study uses molecular dynamics and electrophysiology to uncover the mechanism of pH sensing in the bacterial ion channel sTeLIC, identifying key Glu residues involved in alkaline gating.

An extended structure of the intracellular domain of the Torpedo nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and its proposed interactions with rapsyn

The paper refines a cryo-EM structure of the Torpedo nAChR intracellular domain and uses it to evaluate AlphaFold3 models, revealing a 3:1 rapsyn binding architecture and its role in receptor clustering.

Mechanistic dissection of a dopamine-gated cation channel from Daphnia reveals key determinants of ligand selectivity and sensitivity

This study identifies key molecular determinants of ligand selectivity and sensitivity in a dopamine-gated ion channel from Daphnia, revealing how structural changes affect pharmacology.

Structural mechanism of lipid modulation of pentameric ligand-gated ion channel activity

The paper investigates how specific lipids modulate the activity of the pLGIC ELIC5, showing that cardiolipin stabilizes an agonist-responsive resting state through binding at an M3-M4 site.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor signaling regulates cytokine production in Jurkat T cells

This study shows that 7 nAChRs promote cytokine production in Jurkat T cells, while dup7 expression increases during activation and may inhibit 7 function.

Heteropentameric architecture predisposes functional inequivalence of acetylcholine receptor agonist sites

This study shows that structural asymmetry in acetylcholine receptors causes functional inequivalence between chemically identical agonist sites, highlighting its role in disease and evolution.

Role of chrna5 in multi-substance preference and phenotypes comorbid with the development of substance dependence

This study shows that chrna5 mutations in zebrafish increase preference for nicotine and alcohol and alter behavior and physiology related to substance dependence.