CHRFAM7A alters binding to the neuronal alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor

摘要

Introduction: CHRFAM7A is a uniquely-human gene that encodes a human-specific variant of the alpha -7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (alpha 7nAchR). While the homopentameric alpha 7nAChR consists of 5 equal subunits, previous studies demonstrated that CHRFAM7A expression disrupts the formation of alpha 7nAChR homopentamers. Here we use a rat neuronal cell line expressing CHRFAM7A and a transgenic mouse expressing CHRFAM7A to define the alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha-BTX) binding in vitro and in vivo.