Nematode chemosensilla: form and function.

As an introduction to a symposium of nematode chemoreception, the anatomy of nematode chemosensilla, their distribution on plant parasitic nematodes, and their possible functional roles is briefly reviewed. Comparison of nematode chemosensilla with those of other animals shows their greater resemblance to olfactory primary sense cells of vertebrates. Although the sensory process is obviously derived from a cilium, the absence of many ciliary features is noted. Retention of the ciliary necklace may be important functionally. A simple model is proposed, wherein binding of stimulant molecules to receptors in the membrane of the cilium-derived process results in entry of Na and Ca (the latter via the ciliary necklace) to produce a receptor potential that spreads along the dendrite to the cell body where action potentials continue along the short axon to synapses.