ArticleBiochemical pharmacology2011
The chimeric gene CHRFAM7A, a partial duplication of the CHRNA7 gene, is a dominant negative regulator of α7*nAChR function.
Article in Biochemical pharmacology, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 82 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
82 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 118 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- The CAGE Framework (Calcium-Gated Excitability): From Single Neurotransmitters to Calcium States in the Tumor Microenvironment.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Article
- Proteomic profiling reveals structural and adhesion pathways regulated by the inverted CHRFAM7AΔ2bp variant in human neural progenitor cells.BMC neuroscience · 2026Article
- Activation of the alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (CHRNA7) limits hypoxia-induced inflammatory responses and regulates collagens in cultured human granulosa cells†.Biology of reproduction · 2026Article
- A complete diploid human genome benchmark for personalized genomics.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Functional Impairments in Learning and Signal Propagation Following Prenatal Kynurenine Treatment in Mice.The European journal of neuroscience · 2025Article
- CHRFAM7A diversifies human immune adaption through CaEBioMedicine · 2024Article
- Contributions of Non-Neuronal Cholinergic Systems to the Regulation of Immune Cell Function, Highlighting the Role of α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Translational implications of CHRFAM7A, an elusive human-restricted fusion gene.Molecular psychiatry · 2024Review
- Serum autoantibodies against α7-nicotinic receptors in subgroups of patients with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia: clinical features and link with peripheral inflammation.Translational psychiatry · 2024Article
- Nicotinic Receptors in Human Chromaffin Cells: Characterization, Functional and Physical Interactions between Subtypes and Regulation.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Review
- GTS-21 Enhances Regulatory T Cell Development from T Cell Receptor-Activated Human CD4International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- exFINDER: identify external communication signals using single-cell transcriptomics data.Nucleic acids research · 2023Article
- Human-specific duplicate CHRFAM7A gene is associated with more severe osteoarthritis and amplifies pain behaviours.Annals of the rheumatic diseases · 2023Article
- α7- and α9-Containing Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in the Functioning of Immune System and in Pain.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- Effects of Different Exercise Types on Chrna7 and Chrfam7a Expression in Healthy Normal Weight and Overweight Type 2 Diabetic Adults.Biomedicines · 2023Article
- Up-regulation of the human-specific CHRFAM7A gene protects against renal fibrosis in mice with obstructive nephropathy.Journal of cellular and molecular medicine · 2023Article
- Physiologic Functions and Therapeutic Applications of α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor in Brain Disorders.Pharmaceutics · 2022Review
22 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The human α7 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene (CHRNA7) is a candidate gene for schizophrenia and an important drug target for cognitive deficits in the disorder. Activation of the α7*nAChR, results in opening of the channel and entry of mono- and divalent cations, including Ca(2+), that presynaptically participates to neurotransmitter release and postsynaptically to down-stream changes in gene expression. Schizophrenic patients have low levels of α7*nAChR, as measured by binding of the ligand [(125)I]-α-bungarotoxin (I-BTX). The structure of the gene, CHRNA7, is complex. During evolution, CHRNA7 was partially duplicated as a chimeric gene (CHRFAM7A), which is expressed in the human brain and elsewhere in the body. The association between a 2bp deletion in CHRFAM7A and schizophrenia suggested that this duplicate gene might contribute to cognitive impairment. To examine the putative contribution of CHRFAM7A on receptor function, co-expression of α7 and the duplicate genes was carried out in cell lines and Xenopus oocytes. Expression of the duplicate alone yielded protein expression but no functional receptor and co-expression with α7 caused a significant reduction of the amplitude of the ACh-evoked currents. Reduced current amplitude was not correlated with a reduction of I-BTX binding, suggesting the presence of non-functional (ACh-silent) receptors. This hypothesis is supported by a larger increase of the ACh-evoked current by the allosteric modulator 1-(5-chloro-2,4-dimethoxy-phenyl)-3-(5-methyl-isoxazol-3-yl)-urea (PNU-120596) in cells expressing the duplicate than in the control. These results suggest that CHRFAM7A acts as a dominant negative modulator of CHRNA7 function and is critical for receptor regulation in humans.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.