Neuronal acetylcholine receptor subunit alpha-5, also known as nAChRα5, is a
protein that in humans is encoded by the ''CHRNA5''
gene.
The protein encoded by this gene is a subunit of certain
nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAchR).
Function
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (
nAChRs
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, or nAChRs, are receptor polypeptides that respond to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Nicotinic receptors also respond to drugs such as the agonist nicotine. They are found in the central and peripheral n ...
), such as CHRNA5, are members of a superfamily of
ligand-gated ion channels that mediate fast signal transmission at
synapse
In the nervous system, a synapse is a structure that permits a neuron (or nerve cell) to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another neuron or to the target effector cell.
Synapses are essential to the transmission of nervous impulses from ...
s. The nAChRs are thought to be (hetero)pentamers composed of homologous subunits.
CHRNA5 is a candidate gene for predisposition to nicotine dependence and to lung cancer risk. Polymorphisms in the CHRNA5 promoter are functionally associated with CHRNA5 transcript levels in lung tissue.
[Falvella et al. Promoter polymorphisms and transcript levels of nicotinic receptor CHRNA5. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2010;102(17):1366–1370.]
Interactive pathway map
See also
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Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
References
Further reading
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External links
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Ion channels
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
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