Transport of (22)Na(+) and( 45)Ca(2+) by Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing mRNA from lobster hepatopancreas

Physiological characterisation of a pH- and calcium-dependent sodium uptake mechanism in the freshwater crustacean,Daphnia magna

Daphnia are highly sensitive to sodium metabolism disruption caused by aquatic acidification and ionoregulatory toxicants, due to their finely balanced ion homeostasis. Nine different water chemistries of varying pH (4, 6 and 8) and calcium concentration (0, 0.5 and 1 mmol l–1) were used to delineate the mechanism of sodium influx in Daphnia magna. Lowering water pH severely inhibited sodium influx when calcium concentration was high, but transport kinetic analysis revealed a stimulated sodium influx capacity (Jmax) when calcium was absent. At low pH increasing water calcium levels decreased Jmax and raised Km (decreased sodium influx affinity), while at high pH the opposite pattern was observed (elevated Jmax and reduced Km). These effects on sodium influx were mirrored by changes in whole body sodium levels. Further examination of the effect of calcium on sodium influx showed a severe inhibition of sodium uptake by 100 μmol l–1 calcium gluconate at both low (50 μmol l–1) and high (1000 μmol l–1) sodium concentrations. At high sodium concentrations,stimulated sodium influx was noted with elevated calcium levels. These results, in addition to data showing amiloride inhibition of sodium influx(Ki=180 μmol l–1), suggest a mechanism of sodium influx in Daphnia magna that involves the electrogenic 2Na+/1H+ exchanger.

Expression of Na(+) / D-glucose cotransport in Xenopus laevis oocytes by injection of poly(A)(+) RNA isolated from lobster (Homarus americanus) hepatopancreas

Xenopus laevis oocytes were used for expression and characterization of lobster (Homarus americanus) hepatopancreas Na(+)-dependent D-glucose transport activity. Poly(A)(+) RNA from the whole hepatopancreatic tissue was injected and transport activity was assayed by alpha-D-[2-(3)H] glucose. Injection of lobster hepatopancreatic poly(A)(+) RNA resulted in a dose (1-20 ng) and time (1-5 days) dependent increase of Na(+)-dependent D-glucose uptake. Kinetics of Na(+)-dependent glucose transport was a hyperbolic function (K(m)=0.47+/-0.04 mM) of external D-glucose concentration and a sigmoidal function (K(Na)=68.32+/-1.57 mM; Hill coefficient=2.22+/-0.09) of external Na(+) concentration. In addition, Na(+)-dependent D-glucose uptake was significantly inhibited by both (0.1-0.5 mM) phloridzin and (0.1-0.5 mM) methyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoside. After size fractionation through a sucrose density gradient, poly(A)(+) RNA fractions with an average length of 2-4 kb induced a twofold increase in Na(+)-dependent phloridzin-inhibited D-glucose uptake as compared to total poly(A)(+) RNA-induced uptake. The results of this study provide the functional basis to screen lobster hepatopancreatic cDNA libraries for clones encoding putative and still not known crustacean SGLT-type Na(+)/glucose co-transporter(s).