# CHRNA5

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/chrna5/  
OnCo record `chrna5` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

CHRNA5 (Neuronal acetylcholine receptor subunit alpha-5) is a gene. In the public catalogues the evidence so far is association rather than a proven role. Tied to Lung cancer.

## Summary

Component of neuronal acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) that function as pentameric, ligand-gated cation channels with high calcium permeability among other activities. nAChRs are excitatory neurotrasnmitter receptors formed by a collection of nAChR subunits known to mediate synaptic transmission in the nervous system and the neuromuscular junction. Each nAchR subunit confers differential attributes to channel properties, including activation, deactivation and desensitisation kinetics, pH sensitivity, cation permeability, and binding to allosteric modulators. Has an accessory rather than functional role and is only able to form functional nAChRs when co-assembled with another beta subunit.

Open Targets scores its association with cancer at 0.54 (direct and indirect evidence; datatypes literature 0.95, genetic association 0.65, somatic mutation 0.26).

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: cholinergic receptor nicotinic alpha 5 subunit; Neuronal acetylcholine receptor subunit alpha-5
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: CHRNA5
- Class: other
- Biology: Component of neuronal acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) that function as pentameric, ligand-gated cation channels with high calcium permeability among other activities. nAChRs are excitatory neurotrasnmitter receptors formed by a collection of nAChR subunits known to mediate synaptic transmission in the nervous system and the neuromuscular junction. Each nAchR subunit confers differential attributes to channel properties, including activation, deactivation and desensitisation kinetics, pH sensitivity, cation permeability, and binding to allosteric modulators. Has an accessory rather than functional role and is only able to form functional nAChRs when co-assembled with another beta subunit. Participates in pentameric assemblies along with CHRNA3, CHRNA4, CHRNB2 and CHRNB4. Increases receptor sensitivity to acetylcholine and nicotine when associated with CHRNA4 and CHRNB2. Plays a role in nicotine addiction. Location: Synaptic cell membrane; Cell membrane (UniProt). Locus 15q25.1 (HGNC).
- Where found: Lung cancer: Open Targets association 0.53 with lung cancer (MONDO_0008903)

## Notes

- Written by scripts/fetch-cancer-genes.ts from CIViC, Open Targets, IntOGen, HGNC and UniProt; the function text is UniProt's, condensed and in UK spelling. Roles: none stated by the sources. Evidence tier "association-only" is the strongest of those signals.
- Prevalence not recorded: none of the sources gives a positivity rate.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:1959: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:1959
- UniProt P30532: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/P30532/entry
- NCBI Gene 1138: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/1138
- Ensembl ENSG00000169684: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000169684

## Connected records

- collections: [Open Targets Platform](https://onco.cc/collections/open-targets/)
- cancers: [Lung cancer (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/lung-cancer/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/chrna5.json