Researchers from the Pasteur Institute, the University of Paris, the CNRS, Inserm, the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, the University Hospital of Reims and the Pasteur Institute of Lille have shown that the substitution of a single nucleotide in the gene that codes for the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor can lead to functional changes in airway cells and result in symptoms similar to those of COPD, independently of smoking.
