title: Dirofilaria immitis: identification of a novel ligand-gated ion channel-related polypeptide.
abstract: We have isolated a cDNA from Dirofilaria immitis that encodes a predicted ion channel subunit, Di-LGR-1. Secondary structure predictions and database searches reveal that Di-LGR-1 is distantly related to ligand-gated anion channels, such as the GABA(A) receptors, though there are marked differences in the sequences of the putative channel forming regions. Di-LGR-1 has 52% sequence identity to the Caenorhabditis elegans predicted polypeptide, T27A1.4: neighbour-joining trees show that these two polypeptides are the most divergent members of the nematode ligand-gated anion channel family. No close homologues are present in vertebrates, suggesting that their function may be specific to nematodes. RNAi experiments using a fragment of T27A1.4 with C. elegans failed to reveal any obvious phenotype, so the function of these channels remains unknown.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK.
authors.forename: Darran M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Yates
authors.forename: Adrian J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Wolstenholme
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018509:DNA, Helminth / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004183:Dirofilaria immitis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008024:Ligands; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D018509:DNA, Helminth; D015801:Helminth Proteins; D007473:Ion Channels; D008024:Ligands