. 2008 Nov 26;296(2):C221–C232. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.00514.2008

Table 1.

Muscarinic receptor expression, activation, and signaling in cancer

Organ/Cancer	MR Expression	Action Resulting From MR Activation	Post-MR Signaling Mediates Action	MR Agonist Mimics Action	Inhibiting ACh Production Attenuates Action	Inhibiting ACh Degradation Augments Action	Reduced MR Expression or Activation Attenuates Action		Reference
Organ/Cancer	MR Expression	Action Resulting From MR Activation	Post-MR Signaling Mediates Action	MR Agonist Mimics Action	Inhibiting ACh Production Attenuates Action	Inhibiting ACh Degradation Augments Action	In vitro	In vivo	Reference
Brain (astrocytoma)	X	Proliferation	PKC-ɛ, PKC-ζ, ERK, NF-κΒ	X	ND	ND	X	ND	6, 56–58
Breast	X	Proliferation; angiogenesis	PKC-ζ, Src, ERK, PI3K	X	ND	X	X	ND	21, 41, 42, 68
Colon	X	Proliferation; survival	ERK, PI3K, Akt, NF-κB	X	X	X	X	X	25, 27, 101, 102
Lung
Small cell	X	Proliferation	ERK, Akt	X	X	X	X	X	115, 116
Squamous cell	X	Proliferation	UNK	ND	ND	ND	X	X	114
Ovary	X	Reduced survival rate	UNK	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	93
Pancreas	X	UNK	UNK	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	2, 31, 116
Prostate	X	Proliferation	UNK	X	ND	ND	X	ND	8, 104
Skin
Melanoma	X	Migration	Rho, ROK	X	ND	ND	X	ND	15, 91, 108
Merkel cell cancer	X	UNK	UNK	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	16
Stomach	X	UNK	ERK^*	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	76
Uterine cervix	X	UNK	UNK	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	116

MR, muscarinic receptor; X, action demonstrated experimentally; ND, not demonstrated; UNK, unknown;

no proliferation despite ERK activation; PI3K, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; ROK, Rho kinase.