Molecular function of α7 nicotinic receptors as drug targets

CORRADI, JEREMÍAS; BOUZAT, CECILIA; NIELSEN, BEATRIZ ELIZABETH; ESANDI, MARÍA DEL CARMEN; LASALA, MATÍAS

THE JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2017

0022-3751

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are pentameric ligand-gated ion channels involved in many physiological and pathological processes. In vertebrates, there are seventeen different nAChR subunits that combine to yield a variety of receptors with different pharmacology, function, and localization. The homomeric a7 receptor is one of the most abundant nAChRs in the nervous system and it is also present in non-neuronal cells. It plays important roles in cognition, memory, pain, neuroprotection, and inflammation. Its diverse physiological actions and associated disorders have made of a7 an attractive novel target for drug modulation. Potentiation of the a7 receptor has emerged as a novel therapeutic strategy for several neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer´s and Parkinson´s diseases, and inflammatory disorders. In contrast, increased a7 activity has been associated with cancer cell proliferation. The presence of different drug target sites offers a great potential for a7 modulation in different pathological contexts. In particular, compounds that target allosteric sites offer significant advantages over orthosteric agonists due to higher selectivity and a broader spectrum of degrees and mechanisms of modulation. Heterologous expression of a7, together with chaperone proteins, combined with patch clamp recordings have provided important advances in our knowledge of the molecular basis of a7 responses and their potential modulation for pathological processes. This review gives a synthetic view of a7 and its molecular function, focusing on how its unique activation and desensitization features can be modified by pharmacological agents. This fundamental information offers insights into therapeutic strategies.