title: Ontogeny of the neutral amino acid transporter SNAT1 in the developing rat.
abstract: System A is a highly regulated, Na+-dependent transporter that accepts neutral amino acids containing short, polar side chains. System A plays an important role during rat development as decreased pup weights are observed in dams infused during gestation with a non-metabolizable System A substrate. Given the potential importance of SNAT1 during development in the rat brain, we examined whether SNAT1 would be present at an earlier gestation during organogenesis in multiple organs by immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting. SNAT1 protein was observed in the developing lungs, intestines, kidneys, heart, pancreas, and skeletal muscle of rats at prenatal days 14, 17, 19, 21, and postnatal day 2 rats. SNAT1 protein expression decreased in the liver and intestine shortly after birth and as the rat matured. SNAT1 expression was constant throughout development in the lungs and kidney and increased in the heart from prenatal day 19 to postnatal day 2. Highest levels of expression in older animals were seen in organs undergoing rapid cell division.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida, PO Box 100296, Gainesville, FL 32610-0296, USA. weissmd@peds.ufl.edu
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: William H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Donnelly
authors.forename: Candace
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rossignol
authors.forename: Helene
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Varoqui
authors.forename: Jeffrey D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Erickson
authors.forename: Kevin J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D026924:Amino Acid Transport System A / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D026924:Amino Acid Transport System A