CLONING AND EXPRESSIONANALYSIS OF A MUSCARINICCHOLINERGIC RECEPTORFROM THE BRAIN OF ANT,Polyrhachis vicina

摘要

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAchRs) are the predominantcholinergic receptors in the central and peripheral nervous systems ofanimals. They also have been found in various insect nervous systems. Inthis article, a full-length cDNA of a pupative mAchR (PmAchR) was obtained from the brains of ant Polyrhachis vicina by homology cloningin combination with rapid amplification of cDNA ends. PmAchR encodesa 599-amino acid protein that exhibits a high degree of homology withother mAchRs. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed thatPmAchR is differentially expressed in the brains of workers, males, andfemales. By in situ hybridization, it is revealed that PmAchR is widelyexpressed in different soma clusters of the brain, including the mushroombodies, the antennal lobes, as well as the optic lobes (OL), and the mostintensely staining is found in Kenyon cells. Nonetheless, there are morepositive nerve fibers in the OL of males’ brains than in females’ andworkers’ brains.