Axonal transport of alpha-bungarotoxin binding sites in rat sciatic nerve

[125I]alpha-Bungarotoxin (alpha-BuTX) binding sites accumulate both proximal and distal to a ligature positioned around the sciatic nerve of rats. [125I]alpha-BuTX binding sites, localized using quantitative receptor autoradiography, were found to accumulate at nerve ligatures at a relatively constant rate which suggests that they undergo both anterograde and retrograde axonal transport. [125I]alpha-BuTX binding to sections of ligated sciatic nerve was saturable with apparent dissociation constants of 0.97 nM proximal and 0.53 nM distal to the ligature. D-Tubocurarine, nicotine, decamethonium and atropine displaced [125]alpha-BuTX from sciatic nerve sections with affinities comparable to those previously reported for the toxin binding component of rat brain. These data indicate that [125I]alpha-BuTX binding sites pharmacologically similar to those of rat brain are transported in sciatic nerve. Axonally transported toxin binding sites may correspond to those previously localized to the plasma membrane of peripheral nerve axons and on the terminals of motor neurons.