Regulation of acetylcholine receptor levels by a cholinergic agonist in mouse muscle cell cultures.

The effects of continuous exposure to carbamylcholine (CbCho) on regulation and stabilization of acetylcholine receptors (AcChoR) were studied in cell cultures of G8, a continuous mouse muscle cell line. Exposure of cultures to 10-100 muM CbCho for 24-48 hr produced a 30-50% reduction in (125)I-labeled alpha-bungarotoxin binding. CbCho was not found to alter cell morphology, protein metabolism, or amino acid incorporation. Electrophysiological experiments demonstrated a 75% reduction in the maximum sensitivity of the myotubes to iontophoretic application of acetylcholine (AcCho). The reduction in AcCho sensitivity appeared to represent a true loss of functional receptors because there were no changes in the passive electrical properties of the cells or in the AcCho reversal potential and because receptor desensitization appeared not to be involved. Tetrodotoxin had no effect on receptor levels, either alone or in combination with CbCho. Receptor degradation in control cells could be described kinetically as a first-order process with a half-time of 19.2 hr; turnover rate in receptors remaining after prolonged exposure to CbCho was indistinguishable from that in control cells. We conclude that a receptor-active ligand can exert negative control over AcChoR levels and that prolonged exposure to an AcCho analog is not sufficient to induce a stable population of receptors in these cells.