Expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits from parasitic nematodes in Caenorhabditis elegans

Sloan, M. A. , Reaves, B. J., Maclean, M. J., Storey, B. E. and Wolstenholme, A. J. (2015) Expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits from parasitic nematodes in Caenorhabditis elegans. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, 204(1), pp. 44-50. (doi: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2015.12.006) (PMID:26747395) (PMCID:PMC4729587)

Abstract

The levamisole-sensitive nicotinic acetylcholine receptor present at nematode neuromuscular junctions is composed of multiple different subunits, with the exact composition varying between species. We tested the ability of two well-conserved nicotinic receptor subunits, UNC-38 and UNC-29, from Haemonchus contortus and Ascaris suum to rescue the levamisole-resistance and locomotion defects of Caenorhabditis elegans strains with null deletion mutations in the unc-38 and unc-29 genes. The parasite cDNAs were cloned downstream of the relevant C. elegans promoters and introduced into the mutant strains via biolistic transformation. The UNC-38 subunit of H. contortus was able to completely rescue both the locomotion defects and levamisole resistance of the null deletion mutant VC2937 (ok2896), but no C. elegans expressing the A. suum UNC-38 could be detected. The H. contortus UNC-29.1 subunit partially rescued the levamisole resistance of a C. elegans null mutation in unc-29 VC1944 (ok2450), but did cause increased motility in a thrashing assay. In contrast, only a single line of worms containing the A. suum UNC-29 subunit showed a partial rescue of levamisole resistance, with no effect on thrashing.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Sloan, Dr Megan
• Authors: Sloan, M. A., Reaves, B. J., Maclean, M. J., Storey, B. E., and Wolstenholme, A. J.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity
• Journal Name: Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0166-6851
• ISSN (Online): 1872-9428
• Published Online: 30 December 2015
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2015 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology 204(1): 44-50
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License