mRNA-seq analysis of Levamisole resistance in Oesophagostomum dentatum

There are three major classes of anthelmintic drugs used to treat nematode infections. Levamisole is an important member of one class, the nicotinic agonists, used to treat infections in animals and in humans in third world countries. Resistance to levamisole has been observed, though the mechanism of resistance is unknown. Using mRNA-seq we will identify transcript sequences for genes known to be important in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor pathway, which is targeted by these drugs, and compare expression patterns and transcript sequences in sensitive versus resistant isolates.