title: A novel member of the ligand-gated chloride channel gene family from Haemonchus contortus.
abstract: Ligand-gated chloride channels (LGCCs) are key components of the nervous system of parasitic nematodes and important targets for anthelmintics. Here, we describe the isolation and characterization of a novel member of the LGCC gene family (HcLGCC1) from the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus. Sequence analysis revealed that the channel subunit encoded by HcLGCC1 is anion selective and a member of a group of channels characterized as having two Cys-loops in the N-terminal ligand-binding domain. Although the overall function of HcLGCC1 is presently unknown, the gene may play a key role in the early developmental stages of the parasite. Further investigations into the function of LGCCs, such as HcLGCC1, in parasitic nematodes should have implications for the discovery of new anthelmintic targets.
authors: Faculty of Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North Oshawa, ON L1H 7K4, Canada. sean.forrester@uoit.ca
authors: S G
authors: SG
authors: Forrester
authors: S Z
authors: SZ
authors: Siddiqui
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D018118:Chloride Channels / Q000235:genetics*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D006189:Haemonchus / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D018118:Chloride Channels; D012313:RNA