Incorporation of Reconstituted Acetylcholine Receptors from Torpedo Into the Xenopus Oocyte Membrane

Xenopus oocytes are a valuable aid for studying the molecular structure and function of ionic channels and neurotransmitter receptors. Their use has recently been extended by the demonstration that oocytes can incorporate foreign membranes carrying preassembled receptors and channels. Here we show t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 1995-08, Vol.92 (18), p.8468-8472
Main Authors: Morales, A., Aleu, J., Ivorra, I., Ferragut, J. A., Gonzalez-Ros, J. M., Miledi, R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Antibiotics
Cell Membrane - metabolism
Cell Membrane - physiology
Cell membranes
Electric current
Inurement
Lipids
Membrane Potentials - physiology
Membranes
Messenger RNA
Microinjections
Neurology
Nicotine
Oocytes
Oocytes - metabolism
Oocytes - physiology
P branes
Proteins
Receptors
Receptors, Cholinergic - genetics
Receptors, Cholinergic - metabolism
Receptors, Cholinergic - physiology
String theory
Torpedo
Xenopus
Xenopus laevis
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Summary:Xenopus oocytes are a valuable aid for studying the molecular structure and function of ionic channels and neurotransmitter receptors. Their use has recently been extended by the demonstration that oocytes can incorporate foreign membranes carrying preassembled receptors and channels. Here we show that when reconstituted in an artificial lipid matrix and injected into Xenopus oocytes, purified nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are efficiently inserted into the plasma membrane, where they form "clusters" of receptors that retain their native properties. This constitutes an innovative approach that, besides allowing the analyses of membrane fusion processes, is also a powerful technique for studying the characteristics and regulation of many membrane proteins (with their native stoichiometry and configuration) upon reinsertion into the membrane of a very convenient host cell system.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.92.18.8468