Abstract
Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors containing the α9 or the α9 and α10 subunits are expressed in various extra-neuronal tissues. Moreover, most cancer cells and tissues highly express α9-containing receptors, and a number of studies have shown that they are powerful regulators of responses that stimulate cancer processes such as proliferation, inhibition of apoptosis, and metastasis. It has also emerged that their modulation is a promising target for drug development. The aim of this review is to summarize recent data showing the involvement of these receptors in controlling the downstream signaling cascades involved in the promotion of cancer.
Highlights
There is ample evidence that the risk of developing various types of cancer is greater among smokers than non-smokers (Grando, 2014), the role of smoking in the etiology of some cancers remains controversial (Li et al, 2016; Shao et al, 2016)
The primary mechanism underlying the way in which nicotine acts as a tumor promoter is by binding and activating nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs; Mucchietto et al, 2016), which induce the secretion of the growth factors and cytokines that alter the physiology of various organ systems and can activate a number of intracellular mitogenic signaling pathways to promote cell growth, angiogenesis, and other tissue responses
These findings suggest that α1- and α9-containing nicotinic acethylcholine receptor (nAChR) may be intimately involved in controlling glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) fate by reducing their stemness and/or their population
Summary
There is ample evidence that the risk of developing various types of cancer is greater among smokers than non-smokers (Grando, 2014), the role of smoking in the etiology of some cancers remains controversial (Li et al, 2016; Shao et al, 2016). The primary mechanism underlying the way in which nicotine acts as a tumor promoter is by binding and activating nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs; Mucchietto et al, 2016), which induce the secretion of the growth factors and cytokines that alter the physiology of various organ systems and can activate a number of intracellular mitogenic signaling pathways to promote cell growth, angiogenesis, and other tissue responses. These receptors represent a highly heterogeneous class of ligand-gated ion channels that are enriched in skeletal muscle (where they transduce nerve-to-muscle communication) and in the central and peripheral nervous systems, where they mediate synaptic transmission (Hurst et al, 2013; Zoli et al, 2015)
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