Caenorhabditis elegans bicarbonate transporter ABTS-1 is involved in arsenite toxicity and cholinergic signaling.
Arsenic poisoning affects millions of people worldwide. Although there is accumulating evidence to suggest that the nervous system is a target of arsenic, relatively little information is known regarding its effects on the nervous system. The effects of arsenite on the nervous system in Caenorhabditis elegans were investigated in the present study. We found that abts-1, which encodes a Na(+)-dependent Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) transporter, is required to protect C. elegans from arsenite toxicity. The abts-1::GFP transgene is primarily expressed in neurons and the hypodermis, but stronger expression was also observed in the pharynx and body wall muscle cells after exposure to arsenite. The steady-state level of ABTS-1 mRNA increased in response to arsenite exposure. We showed that worms lacking abts-1 are hypersensitive to the paralytic effects of the cholinesterase inhibitor, aldicarb, and the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist, levamisole. We also showed that arsenite enhanced sensitivity to aldicarb and levamisole in abts-1 mutant worms. Our results indicate neuronal effects of arsenite and the ABTS-1 bicarbonate transporter.
Liao
Vivian Hsiu-Chuan
VH
Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. vivianliao@ntu.edu.tw
Liu
Jui-Tung
JT
Li
Wen-Hsuan
WH
Yu
Chan-Wei
CW
Hsieh
Yi-Chen
YC
D000448:Aldicarb / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D027321:Anion Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018053:Arsenites / Q000633:toxicity*; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D027963:Chloride-Bicarbonate Antiporters / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018678:Cholinergic Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D007978:Levamisole / Q000494:pharmacology; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D034622:RNA Interference; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction
C551533:ABTS-1 protein, C elegans; D027321:Anion Transport Proteins; D018053:Arsenites; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D027963:Chloride-Bicarbonate Antiporters; D018678:Cholinergic Agents; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D007978:Levamisole; D000448:Aldicarb; C015001:arsenite