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Human Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors: Part I—Structure, Function, and Role in Neuromuscular Transmission and CNS Functioning

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Abstract

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are the ligand-gated ion channels important for intercellular signaling. These receptors are abundant in neuromuscular junctions, presynaptic and postsynaptic neuronal membranes in the central and peripheral nervous systems. The nAChR dysfunction is associated with a number of neurodegenerative and muscular diseases. The actual information on the structure and function of these receptors is reviewed in this article.

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Abbreviations

AD:

the Alzheimer’s disease

βА:

β-amyloid

ACh:

acetylcholine

AChBP:

acetylcholine-binding protein

AChE:

acetylcholine esterase

GABA:

gamma-aminobutyric acid

nAChR:

nicotinic acetylcholine receptor

NMDA:

N-methyl-Daspartate

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Original Russian Text © D.S. Kulbatskii, M.L. Bychkov, E.N. Lyukmanova, 2018, published in Bioorganicheskaya Khimiya, 2018, Vol. 44, No. 6, pp. 595–607.

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Kulbatskii, D.S., Bychkov, M.L. & Lyukmanova, E.N. Human Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors: Part I—Structure, Function, and Role in Neuromuscular Transmission and CNS Functioning. Russ J Bioorg Chem 44, 595–607 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1068162018060043

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