High impact information on acr-7

• Mutations have been found in multiple classes of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor genes, excitatory and inhibitory glutamate receptor genes, and candidate gap junction genes, allowing their function to be studied in vivo [1].
• Functional genomics of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene family of the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans [2].
• Potential acetylcholine receptor (AChR) mutants of the nematode are selectable by resistance to the neurotoxic drug levamisole, a probable cholinergic agonist [3].
• Morantel in the pipette (6 nM to 600 microM), activated single nicotinic AChR currents [4].
• 1. We have investigated activation and block, by the tetrahydropyrimidine anthelmintic, morantel, of nicotinic-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) currents in membrane vesicles isolated from somatic muscle cells of the nematode parasite Ascaris suum [4].

Biological context of acr-7

• Studies on one of these loci, acr-2, are described; acr-2 is located between sup-7 and unc-6 on the X chromosome [5].
• The simple nervous system of C. elegans possesses one of the largest nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene families known for any organism and a combination of genetic, microarray, physiological and reporter gene expression studies have added greatly to our understanding of the components of nematode muscle and neuronal nAChR subtypes [6].

Associations of acr-7 with chemical compounds

• When expressed alone acr-2 shows no levamisole-gated channel activity [5].
• Similar analyses were performed on a phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase gene and a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit gene [7].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of acr-7

• Molecular cloning and functional co-expression of a Caenorhabditis elegans nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit (acr-2) [5].

References