Fig. 4.

P2XR channels are expressed at the mRNA level in rodent primary islets and β-cell models. Degenerate (a) and specific (b) RT-PCR was performed to detect P2XR channel mRNA expression in rat primary islets, a rat β-cell model (INS-1), and a mouse β-cell model (βTC3). a The results show that a P2XR PCR product of the expected size, 330bp, was detected in all rodent insulin-secreting model systems. Degenerate PCR primers recognize a consensus sequence of P2X₁-P2X₅ and P2X₇ receptors. b The results also show that a specific P2X₆ PCR product of the expected size, 550 bp, was detected in all insulin-secreting model systems. Additionally, a ∼450-bp P2X₆ PCR product was unexpectedly detected, and we suspect it to be a splice variant