Regulation of expression of vascular cation channels by transcriptional and epigenetical modulation

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Change of ion channel expression by transcriptional and epigenetical modulation plays a pivotal role in development of human diseases. We thus investigated regulation of expression of a non-selective cation channel, nicotinic ACh receptor α7 (nAChRα7) in human synovial fibroblasts (HSFs). Analysis of expression of nAChRα7 mRNA transcripts between HSFs with or without rheumatoid arthritis (RA) revealed that nAChRα7 was lower in normal HSFs. Promoter of nAChRα7 gene was methylated only in normal HSFs. The expression of nAChRα7 mRNA transcripts was increased when the methylation was inhibited by treatment of normal HSFs with 5-aza-CdR. In HFSs with RA, expression of nAChRα7 is increased due to inhibition of methylation of nAChRα7 gene.