title: Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on the surface of the blood fluke Schistosoma.
abstract: Blood dwelling stages of schistosomes have acetylcholinesterase (AChE) on their teguments. As an initial step towards understanding the function of tegumental AChE, we have used specific ligand-binding assays to identify nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) on the schistosome surface. AChR could not be detected on migratory stages using fluoroscein isothiocyanate-alpha-bungarotoxin binding but the amount of specific labelling increased on sexual pairing and as the parasites matured into egg-producing adults. Both AChE and nAChR were concentrated on the dorsal surface of the adult male. These results indicate a role for AChE and AChR associated with the transporting function of this membrane.
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Research Centre for Parasitic Infections, Dept. Biology, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Camacho
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alsford
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agnew
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D002038:Bungarotoxins / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate; D008297:Male; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000032:analysis*; D012548:Schistosoma haematobium / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D002038:Bungarotoxins; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate