Merging old and new perspectives on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.
This review covers history underlying the discovery of the molecular mediators of nicotine's effects in the brain and the diversity of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtypes. Models are presented for both their structure and their function as mediators of signal transduction, with special consideration of the differences between the two main subtypes: heteromeric receptors, which are specialized for rapid electrochemical signal transduction, and homomeric α7 receptors, which have come to be implicated in both ionotropic and metabotropic signaling. This review presents perspectives on the pharmacology and therapeutic targeting of nAChRs for the treatment of nicotine dependence or disease.
Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Florida, College of Medicine, PO Box 100267, 1200 Newell Drive, Gainesville, FL 32610-0267, USA. Electronic address: rlpapke@ufl.edu.
Roger L
RL
Papke
D008958:Models, Molecular; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction
D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic
Allosteric proteins; Electrophysiology; Molecular biology; Signal transduction; Synaptic function