CHRNA7 and pancreatic neoplasm: In a study done on CD18/HPAF pancreatic cancer cell line, it was found that cigarette smoke extract as well as nicotine treatment increased MUC4 expression in a dose dependent manner, and this occurred through the activation of the α7 nAChR and subsequent phosphorylation/activation of JAK2, STAT3, and ERK1/2 [19].