title: Levamisole receptors: a second awakening.
abstract: Levamisole and pyrantel are old (1965) but useful anthelmintics that selectively activate nematode acetylcholine ion channel receptors; they are used to treat roundworm infections in humans and animals. Interest in their actions has surged, giving rise to new knowledge and technical advances, including an ability to reconstitute receptors that reveal more details of modes of action/resistance. We now know that the receptors are plastic and may form diverse species-dependent subtypes of receptor with different sensitivities to individual cholinergic anthelmintics. Understanding the biology of the levamisole receptors is expected to inform other studies on anthelmintics (ivermectin and emodepside) that act on ion channels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-1250, USA. rjmartin@iastate.edu
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Alan P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: Samuel K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Buxton
authors.forename: Robin N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Beech
authors.forename: Claude L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Charvet
authors.forename: Cédric
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Neveu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020013:Calcium Signaling; D047630:Depsipeptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D004351:Drug Resistance; D017238:Genes, Helminth; D006801:Humans; D015640:Ion Channel Gating; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D007978:Levamisole / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011715:Pyrantel / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D013045:Species Specificity; D014981:Xenopus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000871:Anthelmintics; D047630:Depsipeptides; D007473:Ion Channels; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D007978:Levamisole; D011715:Pyrantel; C468987:emodepside