Stable Cell lines expressing nAChR subunits
About Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors (nAChR)
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) are receptor proteins that respond to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and respond to drugs including nicotine. When nAChR are activated, the cells release dopamine and other neurotransmitters, which in turn cause pleasure, stimulation, and mood modulation. Furthermore, activating these receptors also results in the development of new neural circuits, leading to addiction. nAChRs are proteins made up of multiple subunits. Identifying functional responses of these subunits could contribute to novel therapies in treating nicotine addictions.
The Cell Lines
The Feng lab has the following 5 cell lines available for licensing:
- HEK293 cells stably expressing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) subunits a3b2
- HEK293 cells stably expressing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) subunits a3b2b4
- HEK293 cells stably expressing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) subunits a3a5b2
- HEK293 cells stably expressing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) subunit a3
- HEK293 cells stably expressing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) subunit b2.
The structural differences represented here determine the selectivity of the agonists for these receptors. The cell lines serve as good models for studying the nAChR subunits function and selective agents targeting nAChR.