The Caenorhabditis elegans unc-63 gene encodes a levamisole-sensitive nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha subunit.
Article Details
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Culetto E, Baylis HA, Richmond JE, Jones AK, Fleming JT, Squire MD, Lewis JA, Sattelle DB
The Caenorhabditis elegans unc-63 gene encodes a levamisole-sensitive nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha subunit.
J Biol Chem. 2004 Oct 8;279(41):42476-83. Epub 2004 Jul 27.
- PubMed ID
- 15280391 [ View in PubMed]
- Abstract
The anthelmintic drug levamisole causes hypercontraction of body wall muscles and lethality in nematode worms. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, a genetic screen for levamisole resistance has identified 12 genes, three of which (unc-38, unc-29, and lev-1) encode nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunits. Here we describe the molecular and functional characterization of another levamisole-resistant gene, unc-63, encoding a nAChR alpha subunit with a predicted amino acid sequence most similar to that of UNC-38. Like UNC-38 and UNC-29, UNC-63 is expressed in body wall muscles. In addition, UNC-63 is expressed in vulval muscles and neurons. We also show that LEV-1 is expressed in body wall muscle, thus overlapping the cellular localization of UNC-63, UNC-38, and UNC-29 and suggesting possible association in vivo. This is supported by electrophysiological studies on body wall muscle, which demonstrate that a levamisole-sensitive nAChR present at the C. elegans neuromuscular junction requires both UNC-63 and LEV-1 subunits. Thus, at least four subunits, two alpha types (UNC-38 and UNC-63) and two non-alpha types (UNC-29 and LEV-1), can contribute to levamisole-sensitive muscle nAChRs in nematodes.
DrugBank Data that Cites this Article
- Drug Targets
Drug Target Kind Organism Pharmacological Action Actions Levamisole Acetylcholine receptor subunit alpha-type unc-38 Protein Caenorhabditis elegans UnknownActivatorDetails Levamisole Acetylcholine receptor subunit alpha-type unc-63 Protein Caenorhabditis elegans UnknownActivatorDetails Levamisole Acetylcholine receptor subunit beta-type lev-1 Protein Caenorhabditis elegans UnknownActivatorDetails Levamisole Acetylcholine receptor subunit beta-type unc-29 Protein Caenorhabditis elegans UnknownActivatorDetails Levamisole Neuronal acetylcholine receptor subunit alpha-3 Protein Humans YesAgonistDetails - Polypeptides
Name UniProt ID Acetylcholine receptor subunit alpha-type unc-63 Q9N587 Details