Nicotinic cholinergic receptor expression in the human nasal mucosa.

Twenty-four nasal mucosa specimens were obtained from the inferior or middle turbinates of 6 normal subjects and 18 patients with chronic sinusitis, inflammatory polyp formation, or sinus allergies. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis was used to identify the non-neuronal nicotinic cholinergic receptor (nAChR) subunits that were expressed in the nasal mucosa. Collectively, transcripts for alpha (alpha1, alpha2, alpha3, alpha4, alpha6, alpha7) and beta (beta2, beta3, beta4) nAChR subunit genes were detected in the respiratory mucosa.