Pan-cancer expression, methylation, and prognostic significance of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in tumor immunology

Sep 22, 2026

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The study investigates the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR, CHRNA7) in tumor immunology, addressing limited knowledge of its expression patterns, epigenetic regulation, and functions in the tumor microenvironment across malignancies. Multi-cancer analyses across 31 tumor types used TCGA and GTEx, integrating methylation, genomic instability, and prognostic outcomes plus immunomodulatory algorithms. CHRNA7 is overexpressed in 11 cancers and underexpressed in 11 others. Findings link CHRNA7 with WHO-recommended staging inversions, dual prognostic roles, survival-associated genomic variants, promoter methylation effects, immune infiltration, checkpoint expression, and key pathway enrichment, supporting biomarker and immunotherapeutic potential for personalized strategies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Rationale for pan-cancer analysis

Background on CHRNA7 in the nervous system and relevance to tumors

Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports 47 (2026) 102649 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports journal [homepage:](homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/bbrep)[ www.elsevier.com/locate/bbrep](homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/bbrep) | Pan-cancer expression, methylation, and prognostic significance of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in tumor immunology
Xuehong Baia,1, Ting Mab,*,1 , Lei Shi b, Ping Wang c, Di Zhao b, Jingying Long b, Yuanyuan Hai b, Yixiang Youd, Ran Zhao d, Lijun Mab,**
a Department of Radiation Oncology, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University (The First Clinical Medical College of Ningxia Medical University), Yinchuan, 750004, China
b Department of Human Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medicine, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004, China c People's Hospital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Yinchuan, 750011, China
d School of the First Clinical Medicine, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004, China | | | | --- | --- | --- | | A R T I C L E I N F O | | A B S T R A C T | | Keywords:
α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor Pan-cancer expression Methylation
Tumor immunology | | The α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR), functioning as a critical ligand-gated ion channel in the nervous system, has recently been implicated to play a role in various non-neuronal tissues. Nonetheless, a comprehensive understanding of its expression patterns, mechanisms of epigenetic control, and functions within the tumor microenvironment (TME) across various malignancies is still lacking. To address this gap, we performed an extensive multi-cancer investigation of CHRNA7 spanning 31 tumor types, leveraging datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Genotype-Tissue Expression databases, including its expression patterns, methylation characteristics, genomic instability, and prognostic significance. Additionally, the potential immunomodulatory effects of α7nAChR were investigated through integration of multiple algorithms. The results revealed that CHRNA7 is significantly overexpressed in 11 cancer types, including cholangiocarcinoma, glioblastoma, and lung squamous cell carcinoma, whereas it is underexpressed in 11 other cancer types, including breast cancer (BRCA) and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). A noteworthy finding was the inverse correlation between CHRNA7 expression levels and the staging system recommended by the World Health Organization for specific cancers, such as cervical squamous cell carcinoma and thyroid carcinoma. Another interesting finding is that CHRNA7 plays dual prognostic roles [1] as a protective factor in low-grade glioma and rectal adenocarcinoma and [2] as a risk factor in adrenocortical carcinoma, BRCA, and LUAD. Genomic analyses revealed that copy number variations and single nucleotide variations of CHRNA7 are significantly associated with survival outcomes in cancers such as liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) and kidney renal clear cell carcinoma. Moreover, these genetic variations exhibit cancer type-specific correlations with tumor mutational burden and microsatellite instability, with positive associations in colon adenocarcinoma and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Epigenetic studies indicated that methylation of the CHRNA7 promoter is inversely correlated with its mRNA expression level in certain cancers such as BRCA and LUAD. Additionally, CHRNA7 promoter methylation shows significant interactions with DNA mismatch repair genes and cancer stemness characteristics. Analysis of the TME revealed a positive association between high CHRNA7 expression and immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint molecule expression in cancers such as BRCA and LIHC, suggesting its potential role in modulating tumor immune evasion and influencing treatment responses. Functional enrichment analysis confirmed that CHRNA7 is involved in key biological pathways, including cholinergic signaling, DNA damage r

FAQs

What gap does the study address about CHRNA7 in cancer?

It addresses the lack of a comprehensive understanding of CHRNA7 expression patterns, epigenetic control, and its role in the tumor microenvironment across multiple malignancies.

How were CHRNA7 expression, methylation, and prognosis analyzed across cancers?

The study integrated multi-cancer datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Genotype-Tissue Expression, examining expression, methylation features, genomic instability, prognostic significance, and immunomodulatory effects using multiple algorithms.

What relationship did the study find between CHRNA7 promoter methylation and mRNA expression?

Promoter methylation of CHRNA7 showed an inverse correlation with its mRNA expression level in cancers such as breast cancer (BRCA) and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).

Sep 22, 2026

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