Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

The lymphocytic cholinergic system and its biological function.

Koichiro Kawashima1, Takeshi Fujii

  • 1Department of Pharmacology, Kyoritsu College of Pharmacy, 1-5-30 Shibakoen, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8512, Japan. kawashima-ki@kyoritsu-ph.ac.jp

Life Sciences
|March 12, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Complications With Navigation-Assistance in Thoraco-Lumbar Spine Surgery.

Global spine journal·2026
Same author

Defining Age-Stratified Baseline Norms for the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS)-22r Questionnaire in U.S. Adults.

Spine·2026
Same author

What Is the Fate of the Adjacent L3-L4 and L5-S1 Disk Angles Following a L4-L5 Decompression-only Surgery?

Orthopedics·2026
Same author

A case of bucillamine-induced membranous nephropathy presenting with acute kidney injury and requiring hemodialysis.

CEN case reports·2026
Same author

Impact of Diabetes Mellitus on Surgical Outcomes in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: A Prospective Multicenter Study.

Spine·2026
Same author

Demographic and socioeconomic association with surgical recommendations in multidisciplinary adult spinal deformity conference.

The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society·2026
Same journal

Corrigendum to "Adipose stem cells-derived microvesicles and chicken egg-derived exosomes attenuate cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury through AKT/ERK/Nrf2/HO-1 axis to inhibit apoptosis and inflammation and restore autophagy" [Life Sci. 395 (2026) 124364].

Life sciences·2026
Same journal

MAGED1 stabilizes NEUROD1 to promote Per3 expression in the pineal gland.

Life sciences·2026
Same journal

TNF-centered network pharmacology and molecular modeling of selected Andrographis paniculata compounds in hypertension.

Life sciences·2026
Same journal

Retraction notice to "Beneficial effect of Calculus Bovis Sativus on 17α-ethynylestradiol-induced cholestasis in the rat" [Life Sci. 113 (2014) 22-30].

Life sciences·2026
Same journal

Soluble PD-1 drives renal fibrosis in CKD by disrupting immune homeostasis: Therapeutic mitigation via a targeted sPD-1 sequestration strategy.

Life sciences·2026
Same journal

METTL1 promotes hepatic steatosis by mediating m<sup>7</sup>G modification of ALOX15B mRNA.

Life sciences·2026
See all related articles

Lymphocytes possess a non-neuronal cholinergic system, producing acetylcholine and its receptors. This system influences immune function and shows abnormalities in animal models of immune disorders.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Neuroscience
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Lymphocytes contain components of a non-neuronal cholinergic system, including acetylcholine (ACh), choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), muscarinic ACh receptors (mAChRs), and nicotinic ACh receptors (nAChRs).
  • This system appears independent of the nervous system and plays a role in immune regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the functional components and regulation of the non-neuronal cholinergic system in lymphocytes.
  • To explore the role of this system in immune responses and its potential involvement in immune disorders.

Main Methods:

  • Lymphocytes were stimulated with various activators (phytohemagglutinin, Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I, cell surface molecules).
  • Gene expression (ChAT, M(5) mAChR mRNAs) and ACh synthesis/release were measured.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Receptor activation effects on intracellular Ca(2+) concentration, c-fos gene expression, and nitric oxide synthesis were assessed.
  • Long-term nicotine exposure effects on nAChR mRNA were studied.
  • Lymphocytic cholinergic systems in animal models of immune disorders (spontaneously hypertensive rats, MRL-lpr mice) were examined.

    • Main Results:

    • Lymphocyte stimulation enhanced ACh synthesis and release, up-regulating ChAT and M(5) mAChR mRNA expression.
    • Activation of mAChRs and nAChRs increased intracellular Ca(2+) levels, stimulated c-fos expression, and promoted nitric oxide synthesis.
    • Chronic nicotine exposure led to down-regulation of nAChR mRNA expression.
    • Abnormalities in the lymphocytic cholinergic system were observed in animal models of immune disorders.

    Conclusions:

    • Lymphocytes possess a functional non-neuronal cholinergic system that actively participates in immune regulation.
    • This system's components and signaling pathways are modulated by immune stimuli and receptor activation.
    • Dysregulation of the lymphocytic cholinergic system may contribute to the pathogenesis of immune disorders.