Agonist activation of cholinergic receptors expressed in perifused hypothalamic and immortalized GnRH-producing (GT1-7) cells induced prominent peaks in GnRH release, each followed by a rapid decrease, a transient plateau, and a decline to below basal levels. The complex profile of GnRH release suggested that acetylcholine (ACh) acts through different cholinergic receptor subtypes to exert stimulatory and inhibitory effects on GnRH release. Whereas activation of nicotinic receptors caused a transient increase in GnRH release, activation of muscarinic receptors inhibited basal GnRH release. Nanomolar concentrations of ACh caused dose-dependent inhibition of cAMP production that was prevented by pertussis toxin (PTX), consistent with the activation of a plasma-membrane G i protein. Micromolar concentrations of ACh also caused an increase in phosphoinositide hydrolysis that was inhibited by the M 1 receptor antagonist, pirenzepine. In ACh-treated cells, immunoblot analysis revealed that membrane-associated G ␣q/11 immunoreactivity was decreased after 5 min but was restored at later times. In contrast, immunoreactive G ␣i3 was decreased for up to 120 min after ACh treatment. The agonistinduced changes in G protein ␣-subunits liberated during activation of muscarinic receptors were correlated with regulation of their respective transduction pathways. These results indicate that ACh modulates GnRH release from hypothalamic neurons through both M 1 and M 2 muscarinic receptors. These receptor subtypes are coupled to G q and G i proteins that respectively influence the activities of PLC and adenylyl cyclase/ion channels, with consequent effects on neurosecretion. (Endocrinology 139: [4037][4038][4039][4040][4041][4042][4043] 1998) T HE DIVERSE actions of acetylcholine (ACh) are mediated by activation of nicotinic (ionotropic) and muscarinic (metabotropic) classes of receptors. Nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) are ligand gated receptor channels that are cation-specific but do not distinguish readily among cations (1). Of the five subtypes (M 1 -M 5 ) of muscarinic receptors (mAChRs), M 1 , M 3 , and M 5 are coupled to G q/11 and mediate activation of phospholipase C (PLC) and InsP 3 /Ca 2ϩ signaling. The M 2 and M 4 subtypes are coupled to G i/o , and mediate inhibition of cAMP production (2). Both classes of cholinergic receptors are expressed throughout the brain and are abundant in the hypothalamus, where monoaminergic neurons that terminate on GnRH and other peptidergic neurons are located (3).The GnRH neurons of the hypothalamus are innervated by noradrenergic neurons located in the hindbrain, and catecholamines have been implicated in the regulation of GnRH release. In contrast, there is less evidence for a role of cholinergic innervation in the control of GnRH secretion. In early studies, a rapid atropine-sensitive cholinergic component was found to be involved in the release of ovulating hormone in rats and rabbits (4, 5). Subsequently, intraventricular administration of atropine was shown to block the rel...