Anthelmintic drug targets in the nematode neuromusculature

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Muscle coordination is a defining feature of all animals, targeted by toxins to induce paralysis and death. Coordination is maintained by neurotransmitter signalling, mediated by cell surface receptors that regulate the membrane voltage gradient. These pentameric ion-channel receptors are highly conserved in all animals and are fundamentally important to the study of animal biology. Parasitic helminths are second only to malaria for their impact on human health and productivity and are a major financial and management problem for agriculture. Drugs are the only effective means we have to control these parasites but the rise of resistance requires new drugs as well as techniques to extend the utility of drugs we have now. Most anthelmintics activate pentameric ion-channels, causing paralysis so