title: Nicotinic receptors: allosteric transitions and therapeutic targets in the nervous system.
abstract: Nicotinic receptors - a family of ligand-gated ion channels that mediate the effects of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine - are among the most well understood allosteric membrane proteins from a structural and functional perspective. There is also considerable interest in modulating nicotinic receptors to treat nervous-system disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and tobacco addiction. This article describes both recent advances in our understanding of the assembly, activity and conformational transitions of nicotinic receptors, as well as developments in the therapeutic application of nicotinic receptor ligands, with the aim of aiding novel drug discovery by bridging the gap between these two rapidly developing fields.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie Biophysique, Institut de Science et d'Ingénierie Supramoléculaires, UMR 7006 (CNRS-Université de Strasbourg), 8 Allée Gaspard Monge, 67000 Strasbourg, France. a.taly@isis.u-strasbg.fr
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taly
authors.forename: Pierre-Jean
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Corringer
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Guedin
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lestage
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Changeux
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000502:physiology; D001665:Binding Sites; D018678:Cholinergic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000187:drug effects; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy; D009420:Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects*; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D018678:Cholinergic Agents; D007473:Ion Channels; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D000109:Acetylcholine