We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
The Caenorhabditis elegans lev-8 gene encodes a novel type of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha subunit.
- Authors
Towers, Paula R; Edwards, Ben; Richmond, Janet E; Sattelle, David B
- Abstract
We have cloned Caenorhabditis elegans lev-8 and demonstrated that it encodes a novel nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunit (previously designated ACR-13), which has functional roles in body wall and uterine muscles as part of a levamisole-sensitive receptor. LEV-8 is an alpha subunit and is the first to be described from the ACR-8-like group, a new class of nAChR with atypical acetylcholine-binding site (loop C) and channel-lining motifs. A single base pair change in the first intron of lev-8 in lev-8(x15) mutants leads to alternative splicing and the introduction of a premature stop codon. lev-8(x15) worms are partially resistant to levamisole-induced egg laying and paralysis, phenotypes rescued by expression of the wild-type gene. lev-8(x15) worms also show reduced rates of pharyngeal pumping. Electrophysiological recordings from body wall muscle show that currents recorded in response to levamisole have reduced amplitude in lev-8(x15) compared with wild-type animals. Consistent with these phenotypic observations, green fluorescent protein fused to LEV-8 is expressed in body wall and uterine muscle, motor neurons and epithelial-derived socket cells. Thus, LEV-8 is a levamisole receptor subunit and exhibits the most diverse expression pattern of any invertebrate nAChR subunit studied to date.
- Publication
Journal of neurochemistry, 2005, Vol 93, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
0022-3042
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1471-4159.2004.02951.x