ePoster · Neuroscience
Using human iPSC-derived microglia to study the function of the human-specific nicotinic receptor subunit, CHRFAM7A, in vitro and in vivo
Michiel Van der Zwan, Stéphanie Pons, Maria Llach Pou, Camille Thiberge, Alexandre Mathieu, Uwe Maskos, Isabelle Cloëz-Tayarani · FENS Forum 2024
The CHRNA7 gene codes for the alpha 7 nicotine acetylcholine receptor (alpha7-nAChR) subunit, which plays an anti-inflammatory role in microglia. The alpha7-nAChR is also involved in the phagocytosis of amyloid beta (ABeta) oligomers, an early marker of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). A human specific duplication of CHRNA7 led to the formation of a new gene; CHRFAM7A. The gene product of CHRFAM7A, dup-alpha7, codes for a truncated subunit and is thought to negatively modulate the functions of alpha7-nAChR. The aim of the project is to comprehend how dup-alpha7 expression modulates alpha7-nAChR media