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IMAGE: UTSW scientists have characterized three different conformations of alpha 7, a key cell-surface protein. view more
Credit: Leah Baxter
DALLAS - March 17, 2021 - UT Southwestern researchers have identified the structure of a key member of a family of proteins called nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in three different shapes. The work, published online today in
Cell, could eventually lead to new pharmaceutical treatments for a large range of diseases or infections including schizophrenia, lung cancer, and even COVID-19.
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are members of a broader super-family of proteins called Cys-loop receptors that function as ion channels on cell surfaces and are found in the membranes of many cell types. When the right molecule settles on these receptors, it opens the gated channels, letting ions flood from the outside to the inside of cells to trigger other cellular processes. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors respond to acetylchol