PhD Oral Defense: Subunit diversity of the levamisole-sensitive acetylcholine receptor
PhD Oral Defense of Thomas Duguet, Institute of Parasitology
Pentameric ligand-gated ion-channels (pLGICs) represent a large family of transmembrane proteins that play a fundamental role in synaptic neurotransmission throughout the animal kingdom. These essential mediators of neuromuscular movement appeared more than two billion years ago and through the central mechanism of gene duplication and loss, have led to a diverse family of modern-day pLGICs.
The evolution of pLGICs has given rise to a complex population of heteromeric receptors, particularly in the clade V nematode species, closely related to the free-living model Caenorhabditis elegans. Among them, the levamisole-sensitive acetylcholine receptor (L-AChR) stands out, composed of five different subunits in C. elegans. The appearance of new subunits of this receptor continues through gene duplication. Expansion of the unc-29 gene to four copies in the parasitic nematode of small ruminants, Haemonchus contortus, is proposed as a model of the process more generally.
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