Expression regulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtype and its physiological significance

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors concentrate on the postsynaptic membrane in the neuromuscular junction and participate in the neuromuscular transmission,which is of great importance to normal muscle function. The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor is a kind of pentamer.There are 2 types of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor due to the different subunit:fetal type γ-AChR (α 2βγδ) and adult type e-AChR(α 2βeδ). This article reviews the difference of 2 types of nAChR in expression period,distribution,regulation mechanism and physiological significance.