Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are ion-gated channels that have diverse function in nervous and non-nervous tissues. The α9 and α10 subunits are members of the subfamily I, epithelial ion-gated nicotinic receptor gene family. These subunits are the most recently discovered (and perhaps the last to be discovered) nAChR subunits in mammals, but are phylogenetically the oldest.

The α9 and α10 subunits are not expressed in the mammalian brain, making them unique among nAChRs. They were first localized in cochlear hair cells. As a consequence of their discovery in hair cells, the focus of study of these subunits has largely been on their function in the cochlea. They are localized at postsynaptic sites in hair cells, where they mediate the neurotransmitter actions of acetylcholine (ACh). They have important functions during development and in the protection of the ear from damaging noise. The physiology and pharmacology of the hair cell receptor is identical to that of the α9/10 receptor expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Positive Darwinian evolutionary changes in the mammalian α10 subunit resulted in increased calcium permeability and parallels the evolution of the anion chloride transporter SLC26A5 (prestin) and somatic electromotility in cochlear OHCs. The mammalian α10 subunit, unlike the avian α10 subunit, does not form homomers when expressed in oocytes.

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Hair Therapy and Transplantation

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