Radiation hybrid mapping of 11 alpha and beta nicotinic acetylcholine receptor genes in Rattus norvegicus

• Published in: Brain research. Molecular brain research. 2001-07, Vol.91 (1), p.169-173
• Main Authors: Tseng, Jeffrey, Kwitek-Black, Anne E., Erbe, Christy B., Popper, Paul, Jacob, Howard J., Wackym, Phillip A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetylcholine; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Line; Cell receptors; Cell structures and functions; Chromosome 1; chromosome 15; chromosome 16; chromosome 2; chromosome 3; chromosome 7; chromosome 8; Cricetinae; DNA Primers; Efferent Pathways - physiology; Efferent vestibular system; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression - physiology; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular Sequence Data; Monoamines receptors (catecholamine, serotonine, histamine, acetylcholine); Nicotinic; radiation hybrid; Radiation Hybrid Mapping; Rats; Rattus norvegicus; Receptor; Receptors, Nicotinic - genetics; Vestibular; Vestibular Nerve - physiology; Vestibule, Labyrinth - physiology
• ISSN: 0169-328X; 1872-6941
• DOI: 10.1016/S0169-328X(01)00146-2

Acetylcholine is the main neurotransmitter of the vestibular efferents and a wide variety of muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are expressed in the vestibular periphery. To date, 11 nicotinic subunits (alpha and beta) have been reported in mammals. Previously, our group [Brain Res. 778 (1997) 409] reported that these nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha and beta subunits were differentially expressed in the vestibular periphery of the rat. To begin an understanding of the molecular genetics of these vestibular efferents, this study examined the chromosomal locations of these nicotinic acetylcholine receptor genes in the rat ( Rattus norvegicus). Using radiation hybrid mapping and a rat radiation hybrid map server ( www.rgd.mcw.edu/RHMAP SERVER/), we determined the chromosomal position for each of these genes. The α2–7, α9, α10, and β2–4 nicotinic subunits mapped to the following chromosomes: α2, chr. 15; α3, chr. 8; α4, chr. 3; α5, chr. 8; α6, chr. 16; α7, chr. 1; α9, chr. 14; α10, chr. 7; β2, chr. 2; β3, chr. 16; and β4, chr. 8. With the location for each of these nicotinic subunits known, it is now possible to develop consomic and/or congenic strains of rats that can be used to study the functional genomics of each of these subunits.