Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of Drosophila melanogaster: the α‐subunit Dα3 and the β‐type subunit ARD co‐assemble within the same receptor complex

Abstract

Dα3 is a functional α-subunit of Drosophila melanogaster nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Here, we produced Dα3-specific antibodies to study which other nAChR subunits can co-assemble with Dα3 in receptor complexes of the Drosophila nervous system. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that Dα3 is co-distributed with the β-subunit ARD in synaptic neuropil regions of the optic lobe. Both subunits can be co-purified by α-bungarotoxin affinity chromatography. Dα3 antibodies co-immunoprecipitate Dα3 and ARD proteins and, vice versa, anti-ARD antibodies co-precipitate ARD and Dα3. These data demonstrate that one type of fly nAChRs includes these two subunits as integral components.