Levamisole-sensitive nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (L-AChR)

The Levamisole-sensitive nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (L-AChR) is a pentameric ligand-gated ion channel primarily located on the body-wall muscles of nematodes [1, 7]. It serves as the primary therapeutic target for the anthelmintic drug levamisole, which acts as a potent agonist, inducing persistent channel opening, cation influx, and spastic paralysis of the parasite [8, 16]. In the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans, the receptor is composed of five subunits (UNC-38, UNC-63, UNC-29, LEV-1, and LEV-8), although the specific subunit arrangement and composition in various parasitic species can vary and remain a subject of ongoing research [10, 12]. Beyond its role in parasites, levamisole is known to inhibit human tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) and exert immunomodulatory effects on T-cells and macrophages, which led to its historical use in cancer and autoimmune therapy [2, 5, 8]. However, its clinical use in humans has been largely discontinued due to serious safety concerns, most notably agranulocytosis and vasculitis [8, 16]. The receptor's plasticity and the emergence of resistance in livestock parasites continue to drive research into its molecular structure and the development of new cholinergic anthelmintics [1, 12].

Other names

Levamisole receptorL-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptorNematode nicotinic acetylcholine receptorNematode nAChRUNC-38/UNC-63/UNC-29/LEV-1/LEV-8 complex

Agonist; induces persistent opening of the ion channel, leading to spastic paralysis in nematodes.