Request received by a PC link-up from part of the States (7)
I believe the answer is:
alaskan
'part of the states' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I don't understand how one could define the other.
'request received by a pc link-up' is the wordplay.
'request' becomes 'ask' (to ask is to request something).
'received by' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'a pc link' becomes 'nala' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'up' says the letters should be written backwards (in down clue: letters go upwards).
'nala' backwards is 'alan'.
'ask' placed within 'alan' is 'ALASKAN'.
'from' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for alaskan that I've seen before include "American statesman?" , "in an often frozen state?" , "Palin, perhaps" , "one used to harsh conditions" , "Eg, native of Anchorage" .)