TETRAHYDROAMINOACRIDINE INCREASES M(3)-, BUT NOT M(2)-, MUSCARINIC ACETYLCHOLINE-RECEPTOR MESSENGER-RNA LEVELS IN DIFFERENTIATING CEREBELLAR GRANULE CELLS

We used Northern blot hybridization to determine whether 9-amino-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroacridine (THA), a potential antidementia drug, selectively altered the levels of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) mRNA in differentiating cerebellar granule cells. Granule cells were cultured for 8 days in media containing 15 mM K+, 25 mM K+ or 15 mM K+ plus 30 mu M THA. High K+ markedly increased the levels of m(2)- and m(3)-mAChR mRNA in the surviving cells. In contrast, THA increased the levels of m(3)-mAChR mRNA, but had little or no effect on m(2)-mAChR mRNA levels. These results suggest that THA selectively up-regulates the synthesis of m(3)-mAChR mRNA.