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Updated: May 31, 2026

Probing Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Function in Mouse Brain Slices via Laser Flash Photolysis of Photoactivatable Nicotine
Published on: January 25, 2019
Recent advances in gene manipulation and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor biology
Anne Tammimäki1, William J Horton, Jerry A Stitzel
1Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado at Boulder, UCB 447, Boulder, CO 80309, United States. anne.tammimaki@colorado.edu
Abstract:
Pharmacological and immunological methods have been valuable for both identifying some native nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtypes that exist in vivo and determining the neurobiological and behavioral role of certain nAChR subtypes. However, these approaches suffer from shortage of subtype specific ligands and reliable immunological reagents. Consequently, genetic approaches have been developed to complement earlier approaches to identify native nAChR subtypes and to assess the contribution of nAChRs to brain function and behavior. In this review we describe how assembly partners, knock-in mice and targeted lentiviral re-expression of genes have been utilized to improve our understanding of nAChR neurobiology. In addition, we summarize emerging genetic tools in nAChR research.
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