Borroni Virginia, Barrantes Francisco J
Instituto de Tecnología en Polímeros y Nanotecnología (ITPN-UBA-CONICET), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires C1127AAR, Argentina.
Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Institute for Biomedical Research, UCA-CONICET, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Catholic University of Argentina, Av. Alicia Moreau de Justo 1600, Buenos Aires C1107AAZ, Argentina.
Membranes (Basel). 2021 Aug 29;11(9):664. doi: 10.3390/membranes11090664.
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are pentameric ligand-gated ion channels involved in the modulation of essential brain functions such as memory, learning, and attention. Homomeric α7 nAChR, formed exclusively by five identical α7 subunits, is involved in rapid synaptic transmission, whereas the heteromeric oligomers composed of α7 in combination with β subunits display metabotropic properties and operate in slower time frames. At the cellular level, the activation of nAChRs allows the entry of Na and Ca; the two cations depolarize the membrane and trigger diverse cellular signals, depending on the type of nAChR pentamer and neurons involved, the location of the intervening cells, and the networks of which these neuronal cells form part. These features make the α7 nAChR a central player in neurotransmission, metabolically associated Ca-mediated signaling, and modulation of diverse fundamental processes operated by other neurotransmitters in the brain. Due to its ubiquitous distribution and the multiple functions it displays in the brain, the α7 nAChR is associated with a variety of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders whose exact etiopathogenic mechanisms are still elusive.
烟碱型乙酰胆碱受体（nAChRs）是五聚体配体门控离子通道，参与调节诸如记忆、学习和注意力等重要脑功能。仅由五个相同的α7亚基组成的同聚体α7 nAChR参与快速突触传递，而由α7与β亚基组合而成的异聚体寡聚体则表现出代谢型特性，并在较慢的时间框架内发挥作用。在细胞水平上，nAChRs的激活允许Na和Ca进入；这两种阳离子使膜去极化并触发多种细胞信号，这取决于nAChR五聚体的类型、所涉及的神经元、中间细胞的位置以及这些神经元细胞所属的网络。这些特性使α7 nAChR成为神经传递、代谢相关的Ca介导信号传导以及大脑中其他神经递质所操作的多种基本过程调节中的核心参与者。由于其在大脑中广泛分布且具有多种功能，α7 nAChR与多种神经和神经精神疾病相关，但其确切的病因发病机制仍不清楚。
