Expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit α9 in type II vestibular hair cells of rats
AbstractAim:To explore the cell specific existence of α9 AChR in the vestibular type II hair cells (VHC II) of rats.Methods:To detect the expression of α9 AChR messenger RNA (mRNA) in the vestibular endorgans and single VHC II of rats by using the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique and the single cell RT-PCR technique, respectively.Results:It was shown that α9 AChR mRNA was detected in the vestibular endorgans. By using single-cell RT-PCR, mRNA encoding α9 AChR was also detected in the VHC II of the rats. Sequence analysis of the PCR products confirmed identity to corresponding cDNA sequence in the predicted region.Conclusion:We established a method which could effectively detect the cell specific expression of mRNA in an individual VHC. Present data confirm that α9 AChR mRNA is expressed in the VHC II of rats and indicates that α9 AChR may function as a mediator of efferent cholinergic signaling in mammalian VHC.