Brain Region Specific Single-Molecule Fluorescence Imaging.

We developed an approach utilizing nanoscale vesicles extracted from brain regions combined with single molecule imaging to monitor how an animal's physiological condition regulates the dynamics of protein distributions in different brain regions. This method was used to determine the effect of nicotine on the distribution of receptor stoichiometry in different mouse brain regions. Nicotine-induced upregulation of α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) is associated with changes in their expression, trafficking, and stoichiometry.

Mammalian Cell-derived Vesicles for the Isolation of Organelle Specific Transmembrane Proteins to Conduct Single Molecule Studies.

Cell-derived vesicles facilitate the isolation of transmembrane proteins in their physiological membrane maintaining their structural and functional integrity. These vesicles can be generated from different cellular organelles producing, housing, or transporting the proteins. Combined with single-molecule imaging, isolated organelle specific vesicles can be employed to study the trafficking and assembly of the embedded proteins.

Organelle-specific single-molecule imaging of α4β2 nicotinic receptors reveals the effect of nicotine on receptor assembly and cell-surface trafficking.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) assemble in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and traffic to the cell surface as pentamers composed of α and β subunits. Many nAChR subtypes can assemble with varying subunit ratios, giving rise to multiple stoichiometries exhibiting different subcellular localization and functional properties. In addition to the endogenous neurotransmitter acetylcholine, nicotine also binds and activates nAChRs and influences their trafficking and expression on the cell surface.

Utilizing pHluorin-tagged Receptors to Monitor Subcellular Localization and Trafficking.

Understanding membrane protein trafficking, assembly, and expression requires an approach that differentiates between those residing in intracellular organelles and those localized on the plasma membrane. Traditional fluorescence-based measurements lack the capability to distinguish membrane proteins residing in different organelles. Cutting edge methodologies transcend traditional methods by coupling pH-sensitive fluorophores with total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM).

Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors as Targets for Tobacco Cessation Therapeutics: Cutting-Edge Methodologies to Understand Receptor Assembly and Trafficking.

Tobacco dependence is a chronic relapsing disorder and nicotine, the primary alkaloid in tobacco, acts at nicotinic receptors to stimulate dopamine release in brain, which is responsible for the reinforcing properties of nicotine, leading to addiction. Although the majority of tobacco users express the desire to quit, only a small percentage of those attempting to quit are successful using the currently available pharmacotherapies. Nicotine upregulates the number of specific nicotinic receptors on the neuronal cell surface.