Analysis of Specificity of Antibodies against Synthetic Fragments of Different Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subunits

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I. V. Shelukhina^1*, E. V. Kryukova¹, M. V. Skok², E. Yu. Lykhmus², M. N. Zhmak¹, D. Yu. Mordvintsev¹, I. E. Kasheverov¹, and V. I. Tsetlin¹

¹Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, 117997 Moscow, Russia; fax: (495) 335-5733; E-mail: vits@ibch.ru

²Palladin Institute of Biochemistry, Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, ul. Leontovicha 9, 01601 Kiev, Ukraine; E-mail: skok@biochem.kiev.ua

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received November 8, 2005; Revision received March 2, 2006

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We have compared specificity of a panel of polyclonal antibodies against synthetic fragments of the alpha7 subunit of homooligomeric acetylcholine receptor (AChR) and some subunits of heteromeric AChRs. The antibody interaction with extracellular domain of alpha7 subunit of rat AChR (residues 7-208) produced by heterologous expression in E. coli and rat adrenal membranes was investigated by the ELISA method. For comparison, membranes from the Torpedo californica ray electric organ enriched in muscle-type AChR and polyclonal antibodies raised against the extracellular domain (residues 1-209) of the T. californica AChR alpha1 subunit were also used. Antibody specificity was also characterized by Western blot analysis using rat AChR extracellular domain alpha7 (7-208) and the membrane-bound T. californica AChR. Epitope localization was analyzed within the framework of AChR extracellular domain model based on the crystal structure of acetylcholine-binding protein available in the literature. According to this analysis, the 179-190 epitope is located on loop C, which is exposed and mobile. Use of antibodies against alpha7 (179-190) revealed the presence of alpha7 AChR in rat adrenal membranes.

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KEY WORDS: acetylcholine receptor subunits, polyclonal antibodies, ELISA

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297906070078

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