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First published online February 15, 2008
Journal of Experimental Biology 211, 709-716 (2008)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2008
doi: 10.1242/jeb.014159

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Malvolio is a copper transporter in Drosophila melanogaster

Adam Southon¹, Ashley Farlow¹, Melanie Norgate¹, Richard Burke² and James Camakaris^1,*

¹ Department of Genetics, The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
² School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia

^* Author for correspondence (e-mail: j.camakaris{at}unimelb.edu.au)

Accepted 31 December 2007

Divalent metal ion transporter 1 (DMT1; also known as SLC11A2) can transport several metals including Fe and Cu in mammalian systems. We set out to determine whether Malvolio (Mvl), the Drosophila melanogaster orthologue of DMT1, can also transport Cu. Overexpression of Mvl caused Cu accumulation in Drosophila S2 cultured cells and conversely dsRNAi knockdown of endogenous Mvl reduced cellular Cu levels. Cell viability under Cu limiting conditions was reduced following dsRNAi knockdown. A homozygous viable Mvl loss-of-function mutant (Mvl^97f) was sensitive to excess Cu and female Mvl^97f flies were also sensitive to Cu limitation. An MtnA-EYFP reporter was used as a proxy measure of Cu distribution within Mvl^97f/+ larvae. Under basal conditions Cu levels were reduced in the anterior midgut and proventriculus relative to control larvae. These results demonstrate Mvl is a functional Cu transporter and that despite partial functional redundancy with the Ctr1 proteins, Cu uptake through this pathway is necessary for optimal viability at the cellular and organismal levels.

Key words: Malvolio, Drosophila melanogaster, S2 cells, copper, DMT1, pigmentation

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