|
| |
|
|
|
|
||||
| Home Help Feedback Subscriptions Archive Search Table of Contents | ||||
First published online August 3, 2006
Journal of Experimental Biology 209, 3183-3198 (2006)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2006
doi: 10.1242/jeb.02374
Molecular characterization of the first aromatic nutrient transporter from the sodium neurotransmitter symporter family
1 The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, 9505
Ocean Shore Blvd., St Augustine, FL 32080, USA
2 Barry University, FL 33161, USA
3 A. N. Belozersky Institute, Moscow State University, Russia
4 Department of Biology, University of North Florida, FL 32224,
USA
5 Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics, College of Medicine,
University of Florida, FL 32610, USA
* Author for correspondence (e-mail: boudko{at}whitney.ufl.edu)
Accepted 5 June 2006
Nutrient amino acid transporters (NATs, subfamily of sodium neurotransmitter symporter family SNF, a.k.a. SLC6) represent a set of phylogenetically and functionally related transport proteins, which perform intracellular absorption of neutral, predominantly essential amino acids. Functions of NATs appear to be critical for the development and survival in organisms. However, mechanisms of specific and synergetic action of various NAT members in the amino acid transport network are virtually unexplored. A new transporter, agNAT8, was cloned from the malaria vector mosquito Anopheles gambiae (SS). Upon heterologous expression in Xenopus oocytes it performs high-capacity, sodium-coupled (2:1) uptake of nutrients with a strong preference for aromatic catechol-branched substrates, especially phenylalanine and its derivatives tyrosine and L-DOPA, but not catecholamines. It represents a previously unknown SNF phenotype, and also appears to be the first sodium-dependent B0 type transporter with a narrow selectivity for essential precursors of catecholamine synthesis pathways. It is strongly and specifically transcribed in absorptive and secretory parts of the larval alimentary canal and specific populations of central and peripheral neurons of visual-, chemo- and mechano-sensory afferents. We have identified a new SNF transporter with previously unknown phenotype and showed its important role in the accumulation and redistribution of aromatic substrates. Our results strongly suggest that agNAT8 is an important, if not the major, provider of an essential catechol group in the synthesis of catecholamines for neurochemical signaling as well as ecdysozoan melanization and sclerotization pathways, which may include cuticle hardening/coloring, wound curing, oogenesis, immune responses and melanization of pathogens.
Key words: malaria, mosquito, SLC6, phenylalanine, tyrosine, dopamine, catecholamine, sensory neurons, neurotransmitter synthesis, essential amino acids, brain evolution
CiteULike 
Complore 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati 
Twitter What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  E. M. Blumenthal Isoform- and cell-specific function of tyrosine decarboxylase in the Drosophila Malpighian tubule J. Exp. Biol., December 1, 2009; 212(23): 3802 - 3809. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. M. Evans, K. G. Aimanova, and S. S. Gill Characterization of a blood-meal-responsive proton-dependent amino acid transporter in the disease vector, Aedes aegypti J. Exp. Biol., October 15, 2009; 212(20): 3263 - 3271. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 G. J. Lyon, A. Abi-Dargham, H. Moore, J. A. Lieberman, J. A. Javitch, and D. Sulzer Presynaptic Regulation of Dopamine Transmission in Schizophrenia Schizophr Bull, June 12, 2009; (2009) sbp010v1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
W. R. Harvey Voltage coupling of primary H+ V-ATPases to secondary Na+- or K+-dependent transporters J. Exp. Biol., June 1, 2009; 212(11): 1620 - 1629. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
E. A. Meleshkevitch, M. Robinson, L. B. Popova, M. M. Miller, W. R. Harvey, and D. Y. Boudko Cloning and functional expression of the first eukaryotic Na+-tryptophan symporter, AgNAT6 J. Exp. Biol., May 15, 2009; 212(10): 1559 - 1567. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C. W. Jin, S. T. Du, W. W. Chen, G. X. Li, Y. S. Zhang, and S. J. Zheng Elevated Carbon Dioxide Improves Plant Iron Nutrition through Enhancing the Iron-Deficiency-Induced Responses under Iron-Limited Conditions in Tomato Plant Physiology, May 1, 2009; 150(1): 272 - 280. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
W. R. Harvey, D. Y. Boudko, M. R. Rheault, and B. A. Okech NHEVNAT: an H+ V-ATPase electrically coupled to a Na+:nutrient amino acid transporter (NAT) forms an Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE) J. Exp. Biol., February 1, 2009; 212(3): 347 - 357. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
B. A. Okech, E. A. Meleshkevitch, M. M. Miller, L. B. Popova, W. R. Harvey, and D. Y. Boudko Synergy and specificity of two Na+-aromatic amino acid symporters in the model alimentary canal of mosquito larvae J. Exp. Biol., May 15, 2008; 211(10): 1594 - 1602. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
B. A. Okech, D. Y. Boudko, P. J. Linser, and W. R. Harvey Cationic pathway of pH regulation in larvae of Anopheles gambiae J. Exp. Biol., March 15, 2008; 211(6): 957 - 968. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. E. Smith, L. A. VanEkeris, and P. J. Linser Cloning and characterization of AgCA9, a novel {alpha}-carbonic anhydrase from Anopheles gambiae Giles sensu stricto (Diptera: Culicidae) larvae J. Exp. Biol., November 15, 2007; 210(22): 3919 - 3930. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. R. Rheault, B. A. Okech, S. B. W. Keen, M. M. Miller, E. A. Meleshkevitch, P. J. Linser, D. Y. Boudko, and W. R. Harvey Molecular cloning, phylogeny and localization of AgNHA1: the first Na+/H+ antiporter (NHA) from a metazoan, Anopheles gambiae J. Exp. Biol., November 1, 2007; 210(21): 3848 - 3861. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
