Activation and modulation of the caenorhabditis elegans serotonin-gated chloride channel

BOUZAT, C.; RODRÍGUEZ ARAUJO, N.; CORRADI, J.

Buenos Aires

Congreso; Reunión Anual de Sociedades de Biociencia 2019; 2019

Serotonin-gated ion channels (5-HT3) belong to the family of Cys-loop receptors, which are pentameric receptors that mediate fast synaptic transmission. In mammals, 5-HT3 are non-selective cationic channels that can be found as homomers (5-HT3A) or heteromers. The free-leaving nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a model for the study of the nervous system and for antiparasitic drug discovery. The parasitic nematodes, C. elegans contains a homomeric serotonin-gated chloride channel, MOD-1, that modulates locomotory behavior. MOD-1 is similar to members of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) family of ligand-gated ion channels, in particular to GABA- and glycine-gated chloride channels. To gain further insights into the molecular function of the native MOD-1, we sought to identify serotonin-activated chloride channels from C. elegans neurons expressing MOD-1 and compared to MOD-1 channels heterologously expressed in mammalian cells.