Resumen de Caracterización farmacológica y análisis funcional de los receptores nicotínicos a9a10 en células cromafines aisladas de la médula adrenal de rata
Luis A. Olivos Oré, Mª Victoria Barahona Gomariz, Diego Bustillo, Jesús Sánchez Nogueiro, Antonio Rodríguez Artalejo
The identification of acetylcholine nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) formed by a9 and a10 subunits in the sensory cells of the vestibular and auditory systems, prompted us to investigate their presence in adrenomedullary chromaffin cells, in which they could mediate membrane hyperpolarization through the activation of small-conductance Ca2+-dependent K+ channels (SK channels). The aim of the current study has been to pharmacologically identify a9a10 nAChRs and initiate their functional characterization in isolated chromaffin cells from the rat adrenal medulla. We have employed the patch clamp technique to record either the ionic currents generated by the activation of nAChRs or the associated changes in membrane potential. We took advantage of the specificity of a-conotoxin RgIA for the nAChRs formed by a9 and a10 subunits. Our pharmacological results suggest that the rat chromaffin cells express functional a9a10 nAChRs that would influence the electrical behaviour of these cells.
