IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v6y2015i1d10.1038_ncomms9546.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Substrate specificity and transport mechanism of amino-acid transceptor Slimfast from Aedes aegypti

Author

Listed:
  • Dmitri Y. Boudko

    (Rosalind Franklin University)

  • Hitoshi Tsujimoto

    (New Mexico State University)

  • Stacy D. Rodriguez

    (New Mexico State University)

  • Ella A. Meleshkevitch

    (Rosalind Franklin University)

  • David P. Price

    (Molecular Biology Program, New Mexico State University)

  • Lisa L. Drake

    (New Mexico State University)

  • Immo A. Hansen

    (New Mexico State University
    Molecular Biology Program, New Mexico State University
    Institute for Applied Biosciences, New Mexico State University)

Abstract

Anautogenous mosquitoes depend on vertebrate blood as nutrient source for their eggs. A highly efficient set of membrane transporters mediates the massive movement of nutrient amino acids between mosquito tissues after a blood meal. Here we report the characterization of the amino-acid transporter Slimfast (Slif) from the yellow-fever mosquito Aedes aegypti using codon-optimized heterologous expression. Slif is a well-known component of the target-of-rapamycin signalling pathway and fat body nutrient sensor, but its substrate specificity and transport mechanism were unknown. We found that Slif transports essential cationic and neutral amino acids with preference for arginine. It has an unusual dual-affinity mechanism with only the high affinity being Na+ dependent. Tissue-specific expression and blood meal-dependent regulation of Slif are consistent with conveyance of essential amino acids from gut to fat body. Slif represents a novel transport system and type of transceptor for sensing and transporting essential amino acids during mosquito reproduction.

Suggested Citation

  • Dmitri Y. Boudko & Hitoshi Tsujimoto & Stacy D. Rodriguez & Ella A. Meleshkevitch & David P. Price & Lisa L. Drake & Immo A. Hansen, 2015. "Substrate specificity and transport mechanism of amino-acid transceptor Slimfast from Aedes aegypti," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 6(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:6:y:2015:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms9546
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9546
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms9546
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/ncomms9546?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:6:y:2015:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms9546. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.