Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of Drosophila melanogaster:: the α-subunit Dα3 and the β-type subunit ARD co-assemble within the same receptor complex

D alpha 3 is a functional alpha-subunit of Drosophila melanogaster nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Here, we produced D alpha 3-specific antibodies to study which other nAChR subunits can co-assemble with D alpha 3 in receptor complexes of the Drosophila nervous system. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that D alpha 3 is co-distributed with the beta-subunit ARD in synaptic neuropil regions of the optic lobe, Both subunits can be co-purified by alpha-bungarotoxin affinity chromatography. D alpha 3 antibodies co-immunoprecipitate D alpha 3 and ARD proteins and, vice versa, anti-ARD antibodies co-precipitate ARD and D alpha 3. These data demonstrate that one type of fly nAChRs includes these two subunits as integral components. (C) 2000 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.