Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Structural homology of Torpedo californica acetylcholine receptor subunits

Nature volume 302, pages 528–532 (1983)Cite this article

Abstract

The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) from the electroplax of the ray Torpedo californica is composed of five subunits present in a molar stoichiometry of α2βγδ (refs 1–3) and contains both the binding site for the neurotransmitter and the cation gating unit (reviewed in refs 4–6). We have recently elucidated the complete primary structures of the α-, β- and δ-subunit precursors of the T. californica AChR by cloning and sequencing cDNAs for these polypeptides7,8. Here, we report the whole primary structure of the γ-subunit precursor of the AChR deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the cloned cDNA. Comparison of the amino acid sequences of the four subunits reveals marked homology among them. The close resemblance among the hydrophilicity profiles and predicted secondary structures of all the subunits suggests that these polypeptides are oriented in a pseudosymmetric fashion across the membrane. Each subunit contains four putative transmembrane segments that may be involved in the ionic channel. The transmembrane topology of the subunit molecules has also been inferred.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Reynolds, J. & Karlin, A. Biochemistry 17, 2035–2038 (1978).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Lindstrom, J., Merlie, J. & Yogeeswaran, G. Biochemistry 18, 4465–4470 (1979).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Raftery, M. A., Hunkapiller, M. W., Strader, C. D. & Hood, L. E. Science 208, 1454–1457 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Heidmann, T. & Changeux, J. P. A. Rev. Biochem. 47, 317–357 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Karlin, A. in Cell Surface Reviews Vol. 6 (eds Cotman, C. W., Poste, G. & Nicolson, G. L.) 191–260 (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1980).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Conti-Tronconi, B. M. & Raftery, M. A. A. Rev. Biochem. 51, 491–530 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Noda, M. et al. Nature 299, 793–797 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Noda, M. et al. Nature 301, 251–255 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Maxam, A. M. & Gilbert, W. Meth. Enzym. 65, 499–560 (1980).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Hopp, T. P. & Woods, K. R. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 78, 3824–3828 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Chou, P. Y. & Fasman, G. D. A. Rev. Biochem. 47, 251–276 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Robb, R. J., Terhorst, C. & Strominger, J. L. J. biol. Chem. 253, 5319–5324 (1978).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Engelman, D. M., Henderson, R., McLachlan, A. D. & Wallace, B. A. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 77, 2023–2027 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Rogers, J. et al. Cell 20, 303–312 (1980).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Uehara, H., Coligan, J. E. & Nathenson, S. G. Biochemistry 20, 5940–5945 (1981).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Ross, A. H., Radhakrishnan, R., Robson, R. J. & Khorana, H. G. J. biol. Chem. 257, 4152–4161 (1982).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Rice, C. M., Bell, J. R., Hunkapiller, M. W., Strauss, E. G. & Strauss, J. H. J. molec. Biol. 154, 355–378 (1982).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Henderson, R. & Unwin, P. N. T. Nature 257, 28–32 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Schulte, T. H. & Marchesi, V. T. Biochemistry 18, 275–280 (1979).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Egmond, M. R., Williams, R. J. P., Welsh, E. J. & Rees, D. A. Eur. J. Biochem. 97, 73–83 (1979).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Adams, D. J., Dwyer, T. M. & Hille, B. J. gen. Physiol. 75, 493–510 (1980).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Maeno, T., Edwards, C. & Anraku, M. J. Neurobiol. 8, 173–184 (1977).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Klymkowsky, M. W. & Stroud, R. M. J. molec. Biol. 128, 319–334 (1979).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Cartaud, J. & Benedetti, E. L. FEBS Lett. 33, 109–113 (1973).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Nickel, E. & Potter, L. T. Brain Res. 57, 508–517 (1973).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Wennogle, L. P. & Changeux, J. P. Eur. J. Biochem. 106, 381–393 (1980).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Wennogle, L. P., Oswald, R., Saitoh, T. & Changeux, J. P. Biochemistry 20, 2492–2497 (1981).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Strader, C. D. & Raftery, M. A. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 77, 5807–5811 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Conti-Tronconi, B. M., Dunn, S. M. J. & Raftery, M. A. Biochemistry 21, 893–899 (1982).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Wise, D. S., Karlin, A. & Schoenborn, B. P. Biophys. J. 28, 473–496 (1979).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  31. Zingsheim, H. P., Neugebauer, D. C., Frank, J., Hänicke, W. & Barrantes, F. J. EMBO J. 1, 541–547 (1982).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  32. Tzartos, S. J., Rand, D. E., Einarson, B. L. & Lindstrom, J. M. J. biol. Chem. 256, 8635–8645 (1981).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Tzartos, S. J., Seybold, M. E. & Lindstrom, J. M. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 79, 188–192 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Gullick, W. J., Tzartos, S. & Lindstrom, J. Biochemistry 20, 2173–2180 (1981).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Okayama, H. & Berg, P. Molec. cell. Biol. 2, 161–170 (1982).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  36. Ito, H., Ike, Y., Ikuta, S. & Itakura, K. Nucleic Acids Res. 10, 1755–1769 (1982).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  37. Reddy, V. B. et al. Science 200, 494–502 (1978).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Nakanishi, S. et al. Nature 278, 423–427 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Proudfoot, N. J. & Brownlee, G. G. Nature 263, 211–214 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Goeddel, D. V. et al. Nature 290, 20–26 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Setzer, D. R., McGrogan, M. & Schimke, R. T. J. biol. Chem. 257, 5143–5147 (1982).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. McMaster, G. K. & Carmichael, G. G. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 74, 4835–4838 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Alwine, J. C., Kemp, D. J. & Stark, G. R. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 74, 5350–5354 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Weinstock, R., Sweet, R., Weiss, M., Cedar, H. & Axel, R. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 75, 1299–1303 (1978).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Ballivet, M., Patrick, J., Lee, J. & Heinemann, S. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 79, 4466–4470 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Dayhoff, M. O., Schwartz, R. M. & Orcutt, B. C. in Atlas of Protein Sequence and Structure Vol. 5, Suppl. 3, 345–352 (National Biomedical Research Foundation, Silver Spring, Maryland, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  47. Capaldi, R. A. & Vanderkooi, G. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 69, 930–932 (1972).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  48. Kimura, M. & Ohta, T. J. molec. Evol. 2, 87–90 (1972).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Miyata, T. & Hayashida, H. Nature 295, 165–168 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  50. Claudio, T., Ballivet, M., Patrick, J. & Heinemann, S. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80, 1115 (1983).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Chemistry, Kyoto University Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto, 606, Japan

    Masaharu Noda, Hideo Takahashi, Tsutomu Tanabe, Mitsuyoshi Toyosato, Sho Kikyotani, Yasuji Furutani & Shosaku Numa

  2. Pharmaceutical Institute, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, 160, Japan

    Tadaaki Hirose, Hideaki Takashima & Seiichi Inayama

  3. Department of Biology, Kyushu University Faculty of Science, Fukuoka, 812, Japan

    Takashi Miyata

Authors
  1. Masaharu Noda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hideo Takahashi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Tsutomu Tanabe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mitsuyoshi Toyosato
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Sho Kikyotani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Yasuji Furutani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Tadaaki Hirose
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Hideaki Takashima
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Seiichi Inayama
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Takashi Miyata
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Shosaku Numa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Noda, M., Takahashi, H., Tanabe, T. et al. Structural homology of Torpedo californica acetylcholine receptor subunits. Nature 302, 528–532 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/302528a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/302528a0

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing