Methods: Quantitative RT-PCR measured gene expression of human α7-nAChR gene (CHRNA7), CHRFAM7A, TBC3D1, and actin in biopsies of normal large and small intestine, and compared to their expression in biopsies of ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and colon cancer. Here, CHRNA7 is linked to ulcerative colitis.