Molecular cloning and mapping of the human nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α10 (CHRNA10)

We report the isolation and initial characterization of a new member of the human nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunit family, alpha 10 (CHRNA10), from both inner-ear neuroepithelium and lymphoid tissue. The cDNA is 1959 nucleotides in length, with a coding region predicting a protein of 451 amino acids that is 90% identical to rat alpha 10. The alpha 10 gene was localized to chromosome 11p15.5. Human alpha 10 was detected inhuman inner-ear tissue, tonsil, immortalized B-cells, cultured T-cells and peripheral blood lymphocytes using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, Northern blot hybridization, and immunohistochemistry. We also detected the expression of the human nAChR alpha9 (CHRNA9) mRNA in these same tissues using RT-PCR and Northern blot hybridization. (C) 2001 Academic Press.