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The acetylcholine nicotinic receptor is an ionic channel whose
aperture is directly controlled by acetylcholine. It is a key
molecule in the chemical communication between nerve cells and
between nerve cell and muscle. The structure and function of
muscular nicotinic receptors have been unraveled in recent years
and its beauty and mysteries were reviewed in the Santorini NATO
ARW organized by Dr. Maelicke in 1986. The neat, linear structure
of this molecule and its conservation throughout evolution, from
bacteria to humans, have led to the suggestion that it has reached
the optimal structure for performing its function. But when
scientists began to look at the nicotinic receptor in the nervous
system, they found several surprises. From the beginning,
pharmacological and physiological experiments, have made it clear
that the functional characteristics of neuronal nicotinic receptors
are substantially different from those of muscle receptors.
Furthermore, recent sophisticated techniques such as patch clamp
and gene cloning have revealed that the nicotinic receptor in the
nervous system is not a single molecule but (although there are
some important exceptions) a large family of similar molecules,
which have in common the property of binding nicotinic agonists or
antagonists. Over the last few years, the physiological
implications of nicotinic receptors have been reevaluated on the
basis of more precise behavioural and pharmacological techniques.
Moreover, the involvement of nicotinic receptors in degenerative
pathologies of the eNS, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's
disease, has also been discovered very recently.
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