Figure 4.

The heteromeric α7/dupα7 receptor. Dupα7 can assemble and interact with α7 subunits to form heteropentameric receptors, causing reduced function of the receptor at the cell membrane (dashed line), as demonstrated by a net reduction in the macroscopic current, that is inversely proportional to the amount of dupα7 and/or retention (dashed line) at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In order for the heteromeric receptor to be functional, it should include at least two α7 subunits to form the agonist binding site. The possible stoichiometries of the heteromeric receptor are the result of experimental data and computational model simulations. (Created with BioRender.com (accessed on 23 January 2022)).