Brain Res Mol Brain Res 2003 Jun 10;1142:172-6. doi: 10.1016/s0169-328x(03)00171-2.

N-glycosylation sites on the nicotinic ACh receptor subunits regulate receptor channel desensitization and conductance.

???displayArticle.abstract???
The present study investigated the effects of N-glycosylation sites on Torpedo acetylcholine (ACh) receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes by monitoring whole-cell membrane currents and single-channel currents from excised patches. Receptors with the mutant subunit at the asparagine residue on the conserved N-glycosylation site (mbetaN141D, mgammaN141D, or mdeltaN143D) or the serine/threonine residue (mbetaT143A, mgammaS143A, or mdeltaS145A) delayed the rate of current decay as compared with wild-type receptors, and the most striking effect was found with receptors with mbetaT143A or mgammaS143A. For wild-type receptors, the lectin concanavalin A, that binds to glycosylated membrane proteins with high affinity, mimicked this effect. Receptors with mbetaN141D or mdeltaN143D exhibited lower single-channel conductance, but those with mbetaT143A, mgammaS143A, or mdeltaS145A otherwise revealed higher conductance than wild-type receptors. Mean opening time of single-channel currents was little affected by the mutation. N-glycosylation sites, thus, appear to play a role in the regulation of ACh receptor desensitization and ion permeability.

???displayArticle.pubmedLink??? 12829329
???displayArticle.link??? Brain Res Mol Brain Res