RESUMO
Two orthologues of the gene encoding the Na+-Cl- cotransporter (NCC), termed ncca and nccb, were found in the sea lamprey genome. No gene encoding the Na+-K+-2Cl- cotransporter 2 (nkcc2) was identified. In a phylogenetic comparison among other vertebrate NCC and NKCC sequences, the sea lamprey NCCs occupied basal positions within the NCC clades. In freshwater, ncca mRNA was found only in the gill and nccb only in the intestine, whereas both were found in the kidney. Intestinal nccb mRNA levels increased during late metamorphosis coincident with salinity tolerance. Acclimation to seawater increased nccb mRNA levels in the intestine and kidney. Electrophysiological analysis of intestinal tissue ex vivo showed this tissue was anion absorptive. After seawater acclimation, the proximal intestine became less anion absorptive, whereas the distal intestine remained unchanged. Luminal application of indapamide (an NCC inhibitor) resulted in 73% and 30% inhibition of short-circuit current (Isc) in the proximal and distal intestine, respectively. Luminal application of bumetanide (an NKCC inhibitor) did not affect intestinal Isc. Indapamide also inhibited intestinal water absorption. Our results indicate that NCCb is likely the key ion cotransport protein for ion uptake by the lamprey intestine that facilitates water absorption in seawater. As such, the preparatory increases in intestinal nccb mRNA levels during metamorphosis of sea lamprey are likely critical to development of whole animal salinity tolerance.
Assuntos
Transporte de Íons/genética , Osmorregulação/genética , Petromyzon/genética , Tolerância ao Sal/genética , Membro 3 da Família 12 de Carreador de Soluto/genética , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Animais , Bumetanida/farmacologia , Água Doce/química , Brânquias/metabolismo , Indapamida/farmacologia , Intestinos/metabolismo , Transporte de Íons/efeitos dos fármacos , Metamorfose Biológica/efeitos dos fármacos , Metamorfose Biológica/genética , Petromyzon/metabolismo , Filogenia , RNA Mensageiro/genética , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase em Tempo Real/métodos , Salinidade , Tolerância ao Sal/efeitos dos fármacos , Água do Mar/química , Inibidores de Simportadores de Cloreto de Sódio/farmacologia , Inibidores de Simportadores de Cloreto de Sódio e Potássio/farmacologia , Simportadores de Cloreto de Sódio-Potássio/genética , Simportadores de Cloreto de Sódio-Potássio/metabolismo , Membro 3 da Família 12 de Carreador de Soluto/metabolismo , Água/metabolismoRESUMO
Lampreys are the most basal vertebrates with an osmoregulatory strategy. Previous research has established that the salinity tolerance of sea lamprey increases dramatically during metamorphosis, but underlying changes in the gut have not been examined. In the present work, we examined changes in intestinal function during metamorphosis and seawater exposure of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus). Fully metamorphosed juvenile sea lamprey had 100% survival after direct exposure to 35 parts per thousand seawater (SW) and only slight elevations in plasma chloride (Cl-) levels. Drinking rates of sea lamprey juveniles in seawater were 26-fold higher than juveniles in freshwater (FW). Na+-K+-ATPase (NKA) activity in the anterior and posterior intestine increased 12- and 3-fold, respectively, during metamorphosis, whereas esophageal NKA activity was lower than in the intestine and did not change with development. Acclimation to SW significantly enhanced NKA activity in the posterior intestine but did not significantly change NKA activity in the anterior intestine, which remained higher than that in the posterior intestine. Intestinal Cl- and water uptake, which were observed in ex vivo preparations of anterior and posterior intestine under both symmetric and asymmetric conditions, were higher in juveniles than in larvae and were similar in magnitude of those of teleost fish. Inhibition of NKA by ouabain in ex vivo preparations inhibited intestinal water absorption by 64%. Our results indicate drinking and intestinal ion and water absorption are important to osmoregulation in SW and that preparatory increases in intestinal NKA activity are important to the development of salinity tolerance that occurs during sea lamprey metamorphosis.
