Cross-talk between α7 nAchR and NMDAR revealed by protein profiling

Functional regulation of NMDA receptor (NMDAR) by the activation of alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (alpha 7nAChR) has been reported, although the molecular signaling pathway underlying this process remains largely unknown. We employed a label-free quantitative proteomics approach to identify potential intracellular molecules and pathways that might be involved in the functional cross-talk between NMDAR and alpha 7nAChR. 43 proteins showed significantly expression changes after choline treatment in which 35 out of 43 proteins was significantly altered by co-treatment with NMDA. Western blot analysis verified proteins expression determined by LC-MS. Furthermore, protein expression in vivo in neurons from fetal rats were visualized and quantified by Confocal microscopy, which showed consistency of relative changes of AHA-1 expression measured by LC-MS and Western blot. Biological network analysis of differently expressed proteins found 21 kind of biological pathways involved. Of those pathways, 6 pathways were directly involved in regulation of neurotransmitters. Lastly, the levels of neurotransmitters (dopamine, glutamate, GABA and 5-HT) were measured by HPLC-ECD. Co-treatment choline/NMDA significantly enhances the release of dopamine, glutamate and GABA and dramatically decrease 5-HT to only 65% of control level, which is consist with this protein interaction network analysis, providing an additional evidence for the cross-talk between NMDAR and alpha 7nAChR. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.