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Expression of amino acid transporter genes in developmental stages and adult tissues of Antarctic echinoderms

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Abstract

Epithelial cells in the body wall of adult and developmental stages of marine invertebrates absorb dissolved organic material directly from seawater. Despite over a century of study, little is known about the molecular biological mechanisms responsible for this transport process. Previous studies on embryonic and larval Antarctic echinoderms show that amino acid uptake could provide an important supplement of metabolic substrates. In the present study, partial cDNA sequences of 11 putative amino acid transporter genes were isolated from six species of Antarctic echinoderms including the Antarctic sea stars Acodontaster hodgsoni, Diplasterias brucei, Odontaster meridionalis, Odontaster validus, and Perknaster fuscus, and the Antarctic sea urchin Sterechinus neumayeri. Conserved domains of cDNA-deduced amino acid sequences characterized these genes as being members of a family of amino acid transporters (solute carrier family 6). Expression of these genes was detected throughout embryonic and larval development of two species that have contrasting developmental modes (A. hodgsoni: lecithotrophic; O. meridionalis: planktotrophic). In all six species studied, the expression of amino acid transporter genes was detected in tube feet and digestive organs of adult animals, demonstrating that members of a single amino acid transporter gene family are expressed during the entire life history of a marine invertebrate. The identification of these genes is an important step toward developing a mechanistic understanding of amino acid transport capacities in Antarctic marine invertebrates.

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Acknowledgments

This research was undertaken, in part, during the Antarctic Biology Course (National Science Foundation Grant 05-1234124) and by National Science Foundation Grant 01-0980987 to DTM. The authors wish to thank the diving team (Addie Coyac and Jim Leichter) and students (Dafne Eerkes-Medrano, Rob Ellis, Nimrod Kiss, Josh Osterberg, and Sam Rastrick) who assisted with collecting samples from adult echinoderms in McMurdo Sound and Michael Sheng for laboratory assistance. Our thanks to Dr. Ken Hallanych, Alexis Janosik, and Johanna Cannon for sharing information from their RNA analysis of O. validus.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-0371, USA

    Scott L. Applebaum, Charles S. Capron & Donal T. Manahan

  2. Environmental Studies Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-0036, USA

    David W. Ginsburg

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  1. Scott L. Applebaum
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Correspondence to Scott L. Applebaum.

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Applebaum, S.L., Ginsburg, D.W., Capron, C.S. et al. Expression of amino acid transporter genes in developmental stages and adult tissues of Antarctic echinoderms. Polar Biol 36, 1257–1267 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-013-1345-1

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