Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Water-Specific Aquaporin is Expressed in the Olfactory Organs of the Blowfly, Phormia regina

  • Rapid Communication
  • Published:
Journal of Chemical Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The high sensitivity and selectivity of perireceptor events in insect olfactory organs requires the concerted action of odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), odorant receptors (ORs), and odorant-degrading enzymes (ODEs). Sensillum lymph in the sensillum cavity is a physiological saline that not only mediates the olfactory signaling pathway described above, but also protects the olfactory neurons against desiccation. The molecular mechanism of how water balance is maintained in the sensillum cavity still remains to be elucidated. Here, we characterize an aquaporin from the blowfly, Phormia regina (PregAQP1). PregAQP1 possesses six predicted transmembrane domains and two asparagine-proline-alanine (NPA) motifs, and belongs to the Drosophila melanogaster integral protein (DRIP) subfamily. Transcript levels were high in the maxillary palp and moderate in the antenna. PregAQP1 accumulated in accessory cells located underneath a long-grooved hair in the maxillary palp and also in a receptor neuron in a thick-walled sensillum in the antenna. Expression of PregAQP1 in Xenopus oocytes showed water permeability in a mercury-sensitive manner. These results suggest that PregAQP1 plays a role in the maintenance of the aqueous environment of olfactory organs.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

References

  • Agre, P. 2006. The aquaporin water channels. Proc. Am. Thorac. Soc. 3:5–13.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Azuma, M., Nagae, T., Maruyama, M., Kataoka, N., and Miyake, S. 2012. Two water-specific aquaporins at the apical and basal plasma membranes of insect epithelia: Molecular basis for water recycling through the cryptonephric rectal complex of lepidopteran larvae. J. Insect Physiol. 58:523–533.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, E. M., Ball, A., Hoppler, S., and Bowman, A. S. 2008. Invertebrate aquaporins: a review. J. Comp. Physiol. B 178:935–955.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ishida, Y. and Leal, W. S. 2002. Cloning of putative odorant-degrading enzyme and integumental esterase cDNAs from the wild silkmoth, Antheraea polyphemus. Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol. 32:1775–1780.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ishida, Y. and Ozaki, M. 2011. A putative octopamine/tyramine receptor mediating appetite in a hungry fly. Naturwissenschaften 98:635–638.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jung, J. S., Preston, G., Smith, B. L., Guggino, W. B., and Agre, P. 1994. Molecular structure of the water channel through aquaporin CHIP: The hourglass model. J. Biol. Chem. 269:14648–14654.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kataoka, N., Miyake, S., and Azuma, M. 2009. Aquaporin and aquaglyceroporin in silkworms, differently expressed in the hindgut and midgut of Bombyx mori. Insect Mol. Biol. 18:303–314.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Keil, T. A. and Steinbrecht, R. A. 1987. Diffusion barriers in silkmoth sensory epithelia: application of lanthanum tracer to olfactory sensilla of Antheraea polyphemus and Bombyx mori. Tissue Cell 19:119–134.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Leal, W. S. 2005. Pheromone reception. Top. Curr. Chem. 240:1–36.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nabity, P. D., Higley, L. G., and Heng-Moss, T. M. 2006. Effects of temperature on development of Phormia regina (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and use of developmental data in determining time intervals in forensic entomology. J. Med. Entomol. 43:1276–1286.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Zung N. Do and Dr. Shizuo G. Kamita at University of California-Davis for comments during the preparation of our manuscript, and Dr. Takahiro Kikawada at the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Japan for supplying pT7XbG2 vector. This work was partly supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) (20380035) to M. A., (C) (23580070) to Y. I., and the Global COE program at Kobe University.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan

    Yuko Ishida

  2. The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Tottori University, 4-101 Koyama-cho Minami, Tottori, 680-8553, Japan

    Tomone Nagae & Masaaki Azuma

Authors
  1. Yuko Ishida
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tomone Nagae
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Masaaki Azuma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yuko Ishida or Masaaki Azuma.

Electronic Supplementary Material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary Material 1

cDNA and deduced amino acid sequences of aquaporin 1 from the blowfly Phormia regina (PregAQP1). Consensus aspargine-proline-alanine (NPA) motifs are boxed. Six transmembrane domains (I-VI) predicted by the SOSUI are underlined. The asterisk indicates a stop codon. (PPT 35.5 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ishida, Y., Nagae, T. & Azuma, M. A Water-Specific Aquaporin is Expressed in the Olfactory Organs of the Blowfly, Phormia regina . J Chem Ecol 38, 1057–1061 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-012-0157-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-012-0157-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation