[
Nature,
2001]
Mechanotransduction - a cell's conversion of a mechanical stimulus into an electrical signal - reveals vital features of an organism's environment. From hair cells and skin mechanoreceptors in vertebrates, to bristle receptors in flies and touch receptors in worms, mechanically sensitive cells are essential in the life of an organism. The scarcity of these cells and the uniqueness of their transduction mechanisms have conspired to slow molecular characterization of the ensembles that carry out mechanotransduction. But recent progress in both invertebrates and vertebrates is beginning to reveal the identities of proteins essential for transduction.
[
Parasitol Today,
1996]
Historically, peptidergic substances (in the form of neurosecretions) were linked to moulting in nematodes. More recently, there has been a renewal of interest in nematode neurobiology, initially triggered by studies demonstrating the localization of peptide immunoreactivities to the nervous system. Here, David Brownlee, Ian Fairweather, Lindy Holden-Dye and Robert Walker will review progress on the isolation of nematode neuropeptides and efforts to unravel their physiological actions and inactivation mechanisms. Future avenues for research are suggested and the potential exploitation of peptidergic pathways in future therapeutic strategies