Cloning of cDNA derived from mRNA of the electric lobe of Torpedo marmorata and selection of putative cholinergic-specific sequences.

With the aim of selecting cDNA sequences expressed in neurons utilizing exclusively cholinergic synaptic transmission, cDNA derived from Torpedo electric lobe was cloned and screened by hybridization with probes originating from another brain region known for its low content of cholinergic neurons (cerebellum) and a nonneuronal tissue (muscle). This method led to the isolation of 18 clones among 3,200 showing no hybridization with probes other than those derived from electric lobe. These clones can therefore be considered to represent sequences involved in the expression of cholinergic function in neurons.