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. 2021 Jun 2;4:665. doi: 10.1038/s42003-021-02192-0

Fig. 1. Acetylcholine induces transient inward currents in isolated neurons from Anopheles gambiae, Kis, AcerKis and KdrKis strains.

Fig. 1

a Photograph of the lateral view of a female Anopheles gambiae. b Light micrograph of the whole cell patch-clamp technique adapted on the isolated adult mosquito neuron cell body. c The chemical structure of the natural neurotransmitter acetylcholine. d Typical examples of steady-state recordings of acetylcholine (ACh)-induced inward currents obtained in whole-cell voltage-clamp mode at a steady-state holding potential of −50 mV. Pulse of ACh (1 mM, 3 s in duration) was applied onto the isolated neuron cell body from three Anopheles gambiae strains, Kis, KdrKis and AcerKis, as indicated below each current trace. e Histogram summarizing the ACh-induced current amplitudes recorded at a holding potential of −50 mV in three strains of Anopheles gambiae isolated neurons indicated above each bar. Bars represent mean ± S.E.M. (n = 7–16); Statistical test used was Student unpaired t-test, **p < 0.01; ns, non-significant. f–h Comparative histograms illustrating the effect of the nicotinic receptor antagonist α-bungarotoxin (α-bgt; 100 nM) on the ACh-induced inward current amplitudes, recorded at a holding potential of −50 mV in isolated neurons from mosquito strains Kis (f), KdrKis (g) and Acerkis (h). Bars represent mean ± S.E.M. (n = 4–6); Statistical test used was Student unpaired t-test, **p < 0.01; *p < 0.05; ns, non-significant. Scale bar 1 cm (a) and 10 µm (b). The number of experiments (n) are biologically independent samples. The image presented in a is in the public domain and thus free of any copyright restrictions (CDC/James Gathany, 2014).