Linking Gene Expression in the Intestine to Production of Gametes Through the Phosphate Transporter PITR-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans |
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Authors: | Zita Balklava Navin D Rathnakumar Shilpa Vashist Peter J Schweinsberg Barth D Grant |
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Institution: | *School of Life and Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET, United Kingdom;†Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854 |
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Abstract: | Inorganic phosphate is an essential mineral for both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell metabolism and structure. Its uptake into the cell is mediated by membrane-bound transporters and coupled to Na+ transport. Mammalian sodium-dependent Pi cotransporters have been grouped into three families NaPi-I, NaPi-II, and NaPi-III. Despite being discovered more than two decades ago, very little is known about requirements for NaPi-III transporters in vivo, in the context of intact animal models. Here we find that impaired function of the Caenorhabditis elegans NaPi-III transporter, pitr-1, results in decreased brood size and dramatically increased expression of vitellogenin by the worm intestine. Unexpectedly, we found that the effects of pitr-1 mutation on vitellogenin expression in the intestine could only be rescued by expression of pitr-1 in the germline, and not by expression of pitr-1 in the intestine itself. Our results indicate the existence of a signal from the germline that regulates gene expression in the intestine, perhaps linking nutrient export from the intestine to production of gametes by the germline. |
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Keywords: | Caenorhabditis elegans sodium-dependent phosphate transporter PiT germline signaling yolk phosphate sensing |
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