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. 1986 Jul;5(7):1503–1508. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1986.tb04389.x

Primary structure of a developmentally regulated nicotinic acetylcholine receptor protein from Drosophila

Irmgard Hermans-Borgmeyer 1, Dieter Zopf 1, Rolf-Peter Ryseck 1, Bernd Hovemann 1, Heinrich Betz 1, Eckart D Gundelfinger 1
PMCID: PMC1166972  PMID: 16453690

Abstract

Acetylcholine is a major excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system of insects. Using DNA probes of the Torpedo nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) we have isolated two overlapping cDNA clones encoding a putative neuronal AChR protein from the fruitfly, Drosophila melanogaster. The predicted mature protein consists of 497 amino acids, has a calculated mol. wt of 57 340 and shows extensive homology to known AChR subunits from different species along its entire amino acid sequence. Northern analysis revealed a hybridizing mRNA of 3.2 kb in late embryo and in pupae. Expression of the corresponding AChR gene thus characterizes periods of neuronal differentiation in Drosophila.

Keywords: acetylcholine receptor, Drosophila melanogaster, protein structure, evolution, developmental expression

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Selected References

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