Mousley A, Maule A G, Halton D W, Marks N J
Parasitology Research Group, School of Biology and Biochemistry, Queen's University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK.
Parasitology. 2005;131 Suppl:S143-67. doi: 10.1017/S0031182005008553.
Flatworm, nematode and arthropod parasites have proven their ability to develop resistance to currently available chemotherapeutics. The heavy reliance on chemotherapy and the ability of target species to develop resistance has prompted the search for novel drug targets. In view of its importance to parasite/pest survival, the neuromusculature of parasitic helminths and pest arthropod species remains an attractive target for the discovery of novel endectocide targets. Exploitation of the neuropeptidergic system in helminths and arthropods has been hampered by a limited understanding of the functional roles of individual peptides and the structure of endogenous targets, such as receptors. Basic research into these systems has the potential to facilitate target characterization and its offshoots (screen development and drug identification). Of particular interest to parasitologists is the fact that selected neuropeptide families are common to metazoan pest species (nematodes, platyhelminths and arthropods) and fulfil specific roles in the modulation of muscle function in each of the three phyla. This article reviews the inter-phyla activity of two peptide families, the FMRFamide-like peptides and allatostatins, on motor function in helminths and arthropods and discusses the potential of neuropeptide signalling as a target system that could uncover novel endectocidal agents.
扁虫、线虫和节肢动物寄生虫已证明它们有能力对目前可用的化疗药物产生抗性。对化疗的严重依赖以及目标物种产生抗性的能力促使人们寻找新的药物靶点。鉴于其对寄生虫/害虫生存的重要性，寄生蠕虫和害虫节肢动物物种的神经肌肉系统仍然是发现新型内吸性杀虫剂靶点的一个有吸引力的目标。对蠕虫和节肢动物中神经肽能系统的利用因对单个肽的功能作用以及内源性靶点（如受体）结构的了解有限而受到阻碍。对这些系统的基础研究有可能促进靶点表征及其衍生成果（筛选开发和药物鉴定）。寄生虫学家特别感兴趣的是，某些神经肽家族在后生动物害虫物种（线虫、扁虫和节肢动物）中是共有的，并且在这三个门的每一个门中都在肌肉功能调节中发挥特定作用。本文综述了两个肽家族，即FMRF酰胺样肽和咽侧体抑制素，对蠕虫和节肢动物运动功能的跨门活性，并讨论了神经肽信号作为一个可能揭示新型内吸性杀虫剂的靶点系统的潜力。
