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Time course of appearance ofα-bungarotoxin binding sites during development of chick ciliary ganglion and iris

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Abstract

The binding of [125I]alpha-bungarotoxin (ABTX) to homogenates of ciliary ganglia and irises from embryonic and posthatching chickens has been examined. Specific, high-affinity binding was found in both tissues [K D (iris)=2.5 nM;K D (ganglion)=2.7 nM]. Binding is saturated above 10 nM toxin concentration and is inhibited by low concentrations of the nicotinic antagonistd-tubocurarine. The binding may be associated with a nicotinic cholinergic receptor in both tissues. The amount of binding in the iris begins to increase soon after functional innervation is first observed, at 12 days of incubation (d.i.), and continues to increase up to four months after hatching (a.h.), the oldest age tested. In contrast, ABTX binding in the ciliary ganglion increases fourfold between 7 and 11 d.i., after which the amount of binding remains unchanged up to four months a.h. When compared to the development of choline acetyltransferase (ChAc) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities in the ganglion and iris, ABTX binding follows a pattern similar to that of AChE activity. The largest increases in ChAc activity occur later than those of the postsynaptic markers. After 16 d.i. there are approximately 3×106 toxin molecules bound per neuron in the ciliary ganglion.

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Author notes

  1. Vincent A. Chiappinelli

    Present address: Department of Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, 02115, Boston, Massachusetts

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, University of Connecticut, 06268, Storrs, Connecticut

    Vincent A. Chiappinelli & Ezio Giacobini

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  1. Vincent A. Chiappinelli
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  2. Ezio Giacobini
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Submitted by V. A. Chiappinelli in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the PhD degree in the Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut.

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Chiappinelli, V.A., Giacobini, E. Time course of appearance ofα-bungarotoxin binding sites during development of chick ciliary ganglion and iris. Neurochem Res 3, 465–478 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00966328

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