Functional and regulatory analysis of n-acetylcholine receptors, key targets of insecticides

农业是澳大利亚的支柱产业之一，也是杀虫剂的主要用户。然而，目前的杀虫剂存在许多重大缺陷，包括对环境的附带损害和抗虫性。杀虫剂的主要目标之一是一类神经元受体，这种受体存在于从蠕虫到人类的各种有机体中。我们的工作将提供对这些受体的详细生物学理解，从而为开发新的杀虫剂提供更好的方法。在人类中，类似的受体是尼古丁的靶子，与精神分裂症和自闭症等神经疾病有关。因此，我们的工作也将增加我们对与疾病相关的重要人类受体的理解。

Agriculture is one of Australia's mainstay industries and a major user of insecticides. However, current insecticides suffer a number of significant deficiencies, including collateral damage in the environment and insect resistance. One of the major targets for insecticides are a class of neuronal receptors, found in organisms ranging from worms to man. Our work will provide a detailed biological understanding of these receptors leading to better ways of developing new insecticides. Similar receptors in humans are the target for nicotine and associated with neurological disorders such as schizophrenia and autism. Thus our work will also increase our understanding of important human receptors associated with disease.