Monoclonal antibodies detect the conservation of muscarinic cholinergic receptor structure from Drosophila to human brain and detect possible structural homology with alpha 1-adrenergic receptors.

Muscarinic cholinergic receptors isolated from Drosophila heads, rat and human brain, dog heart, and monkey ciliary muscle were examined for structural similarities/differences by utilizing isoelectric focusing, sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and monoclonal antibody crossreactivity. Muscarinic receptors were affinity labeled with [3H]propylbenzilylcholine mustard and subjected to isoelectric focusing. Muscarinic receptors from each species focused with an isoelectric point of 5.9. The same proteins all migrated with an apparent molecular mass of 80,000 daltons on sodium dodecyl sulfate gels. Six hybridomas secreting monoclonal antibodies specific for muscarinic receptors were developed by using purified rat brain muscarinic receptors as the antigen. The six different monoclonal antibodies immunoprecipitated muscarinic receptors from all tissues and species tested, including human and Drosophila brains, with equal efficacy. These data indicate that muscarinic receptors are highly conserved over a considerable evolutionary period. One of the six muscarinic receptor monoclonal antibodies also immunoprecipitated rat liver alpha 1-adrenergic receptors. Furthermore, two out of five monoclonal antibodies raised against alpha 1-receptors immunoprecipitated muscarinic receptors. These data suggest that some degree of structural homology exists between muscarinic cholinergic receptors and alpha 1-adrenergic receptors.