Fig. 4: Calcium signals induced by acetylcholine and assay of growth hormone.
From: Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors regulate growth hormone in pituitary somatotrophs of tigers
a Calcium fluorescence imaging of untransfected HEK293 cells and HEK293 cells expressing nAChRs α3β4 and α3β4α5. All cells before (left) and during (right) treatment with 100 μM acetylcholine. The color scale represents the calcium fluorescence intensity. Scale bar: 50 μm (horizontal), 1208–4089 a.u. (vertical). b, c Representative traces of calcium fluorescence signals were counted from nAChRs activation assays induced by acetylcholine. d ELISA assay of GH secretion at different times from GH3 cells transfected with α3β4 and α3β4α5 inhibited by various concentrations of tubocurarine and from untransfected GH3 cells in the absence of acetylcholine. (n = 3 for each independent experiment). e ELISA assay of GH secretion at different times from GH3 cells transfected with α3β4 and α3β4α5 activated by varying concentrations of acetylcholine (n = 3 for each independent experiment). All statistical data are given as average ± SEM.
