Regulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in Alzheimer's disease: A possible role of chaperones

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) seem to play an integral role in the progress and/or prevention of Alzheimer's diseases (AD). Functional abnormalities and problems in biogenesis and trafficking of nAChRs are two major culprits in AD; on the other hand, chaperones modulate post-translational changes in nAChRs. Moreover, they indirectly regulate nAChRs by controlling AD-related proteins such as tau and amyloid beta (A beta). In this review, we go through recent studies which are showing that chaperones modulate the expression of nAChRs in a subtype-specific manner and explain how AD progress is affected by nAChRs chaperoning. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.