title: Rhesus glycoprotein p2 (Rhp2) is a novel member of the Rh family of ammonia transporters highly expressed in shark kidney.
abstract: Rhesus (Rh) glycoproteins are a family of membrane proteins capable of transporting ammonia. We isolated the full-length cDNA of a novel Rh glycoprotein, Rhp2, from a kidney cDNA library from the banded hound shark, Triakis scyllium. Molecular cloning and characterization indicated that Rhp2 consists of 476 amino acid residues and has 12 putative transmembrane spans, consistent with the structure of other family members. The shark Rhp2 gene was found to consist of only one coding exon. Northern blotting and in situ hybridization revealed that Rhp2 mRNA is exclusively expressed in the renal tubules of the sinus zone but not in the bundle zone and renal corpuscles. Immunohistochemical staining with a specific antiserum showed that Rhp2 is localized in the basolateral membranes of renal tubule cells. Double fluorescence labeling with phalloidin or labeling of the Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase further narrowed the location to the second and fourth loops in the sinus zone. Vacuolar type H(+)-ATPase was localized in apical membranes of the Rhp2-expressing tubule cells. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis and Western blotting showed that expression of Rhp2 was increased in response to elevation of environmental salinity. Functional analysis using the Xenopus oocyte expression system showed that Rhp2 has transport activity for methylammonium, an analog of ammonia. This transport activity was inhibited by NH(4)Cl but not trimethylamine-N-oxide and urea. These results suggested that Rhp2 is involved in ammonia reabsorption in the kidney of the elasmobranch group of cartilaginous fish comprising the sharks and rays.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakada
authors.forename: Connie M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Westhoff
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hyodo
authors.forename: Xiaojin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Muro
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Nobuhiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Shigehisa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hirose
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000641:Ammonia / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D029941:Fish Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D007684:Kidney Tubules / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009928:Organ Specificity; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D010802:Phylogeny; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012623:Seawater; D012754:Sharks / Q000235:genetics*; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D029941:Fish Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000641:Ammonia