Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 25, 2025

Spectral Confocal Imaging of Fluorescently tagged Nicotinic Receptors in Knock-in Mice with Chronic Nicotine Administration
Published on: February 10, 2012
Cholinergic receptor nicotinic beta 3 subunit polymorphisms and smoking in male Chinese patients with schizophrenia
Jing Shi1, Nan Chen1, Zhiren Wang1
1Beijing Hui Long Guan Hospital/Peking University HuiLongGuan Clinical Medical School, Beijing, 100096, China.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to examine if cholinergic receptor nicotinic beta 3 subunit (CHRNB3) was a common genetic basis for both nicotine dependence and schizophrenia.
Methods:
Two CHRNB3 promoter single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped in 773 patients with schizophrenia and 302 healthy volunteers. Associations between smoking, schizophrenia, smoking+schizophrenia and CHRNB3 were analyzed. The mRNA expression of CHRNB3 in human brains was examined, and the expression correlations between CHRNB3 and dopaminergic and GABAergic receptor genes were evaluated.
Results:
The association between CHRNB3 and smoking was significant in the total sample, less significant in the smoking with schizophrenia, and suggestive in the smoking without schizophrenia. CHRNB3 had significant mRNA expression that was correlated with dopaminergic or GABAergic receptor expression in human brains. The two CHRNB3 SNPs had significant cis-acting regulatory effects on CHRNB3 mRNA expression.
Conclusions:
Risk for smoking behavior was associated with CHRNB3. CHRNB3 mRNA is abundant in human brain and could play important role in the pathogenesis of smoking behavior.
Related Concept Videos
Cholinergic Receptors: Nicotinic
There are two types of nicotinic receptors: neuromuscular (NM/NM/N1) and neuronal (NN/NN/N2). The two families differ based on their location and selectivity to...
Drugs Acting on Autonomic Ganglia: Stimulants
Ganglionic stimulants activate NM nicotinic receptors in autonomic ganglia, falling into two categories: nicotine mimetics [e.g., lobeline, dimethylpiperazine, tetramethylammonium] and muscarinic receptor agonists [e.g., muscarine, methacholine]. The first category's action is rapid and blocked by nicotinic receptor antagonists, while the second category's action is delayed and blocked by atropine-like agents. Nicotine, an alkaloid, affects the heart rate by stimulating...
Cholinergic Receptors: Muscarinic
The subtypes M1, M3, and M5 couple with the Gq subunit and activate the phospholipase C (PLC) activity, mobilizing intracellular Ca2+....
Cholinergic Antagonists: Chemistry and Structure-Activity Relationship
Cholinergic Antagonists: Pharmacokinetics
Direct-Acting Cholinergic Agonists: Chemistry and Structure-Activity Relationship
The direct-acting...

