Bioactivity of NLP peptides of Ascaris suum

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案中描述的研究旨在确定由A中4种不同基因编码的8种相关内源性神经肽家族的生物学作用。suum。由一个基因编码的肽已被证明对猪蛔虫肌肉具有非常有效的抑制活性。我们建议表征其余7种肽的生物活性。我们还将鉴定产生每种肽的细胞（已鉴定的神经元或非神经细胞），以及每种肽的受体位点。我们还将通过电生理学方法研究每种肽的作用机制。有初步迹象表明，这些肽中至少有一种可能在肠道中表达。我们将彻底探讨这一假设，因为它表明了一个潜在的抗线虫药物的新靶点，甚至更有趣的是，一种不同的给药途径，不需要渗透到线虫的内部组织空间。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The research described in this proposal aims at determining the biological role of a family of 8 related endogenous neuropeptides, encoded by 4 different genes in A. suum. The peptide encoded by one gene has been shown to have very potent inhibitory activity on Ascaris suum muscle. We propose to characterize the biological activity of the remaining 7 peptides. We will also identify the cells (identified neurons, or non-neural cells) which make each peptide, and the site of the receptors for each peptide. We will also study the mechanism of action of each peptide by electrophysiological methods. There are preliminary indications that at least one of these peptides may be expressed in the intestine. We will thoroughly explore this hypothesis, since it suggests a potential new target for anti-nematode drugs, and, even more interesting, a different route for administration of drugs that would not necessitate penetration into the interior tissue space of the nematode.