PhD Oral Defense: Tubulin and Ivermectin Pharmacology in the Parasitic Nematode Haemonchus contortus

Ivermectin (IVM) is a macrocyclic lactone (ML) endectocide. It acts on the glutamate gated chloride channels and causes paralysis and death of nematode parasites. It is used in veterinary and human health as well as in agriculture. Haemonchus contortus (H. contortus) is a very pathogenic nematode of livestock. Attempts to control it with anthelmintic pharmaceuticals, such as IVM, has rapidly led to the development of drug resistance against most of the known anthelmintics. Caenorrhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is a free living nematode that can be easily grown and cultivated on culture plates. Both of these nematodes have proven excellent models to study drug resistance mechanisms. Observations that IVM selects on β-tubulin in some nematodes, including H. contortus led the candidate to study recombinant H. contortus β-and α-tubulins, and microtubules formed when these tubulins polymerize.