RESUMO
We have cloned two new lepidopteran octopamine transporters (OATs), members of the solute-linked carrier family 6 (SLC6) of nutrient transporters, from the CNS of the European corn borer Ostrinia nubilalis and the cabbage white Pieris rapae. Comparison of these sequences with the previously cloned OAT from the cabbage looper Trichoplusia ni showed that the T. ni OAT sequence previously reported was truncated by 74 amino acids at the N-terminus. The cytoplasmic N-termini deduced here are considerably longer than the N-termini of other monoamine transporters in the SLC6 family and contain many more high-probability serine- and threonine-phosphorylation sites. Monoamine uptake and competitive inhibition studies on baculovirus-infected Sf9 cells expressing these three cloned OATs indicate that they are able to transport tyramine, octopamine and dopamine with high affinity (K(m) and K(i) range, 0.4 microM-2.7 microM) and capacity ((3)H-dopamine uptake by TrnOAT, 2.5 pmol/well/min). We aimed to examine the role of the N-terminus of OAT by comparing the properties of the full-length T. ni OAT with those of the previously reported N-truncated version. Results for the new full-length T. ni OAT showed no difference in the protein's affinity for octopamine or dopamine, although at low levels of viral infection it did show slightly higher transport activity ((3)H-dopamine uptake by truncated TrnOAT, 1.5 pmol/well/min). Treatment of Sf9 cells expressing full-length or truncated TrnOAT with a variety of protein kinase activators and inhibitors, however, did not change transporter activity. Neither an intact N-terminus, nor apparently a particular phosphorylation state of this extended N-terminus, is required for OAT to transport monoamines.
Assuntos
Lepidópteros/genética , Lepidópteros/fisiologia , Proteínas de Membrana Transportadoras/metabolismo , Octopamina/metabolismo , Deleção de Sequência , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Animais , Clonagem Molecular , Sequência Conservada , Primers do DNA , Proteínas de Insetos/genética , Proteínas de Insetos/metabolismo , Cinética , Proteínas de Membrana Transportadoras/química , Proteínas de Membrana Transportadoras/genética , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase , RNA Mensageiro/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/metabolismo , Alinhamento de Sequência , Homologia de Sequência de AminoácidosRESUMO
A cDNA encoding a high-affinity Na(+)/anion(-)-dependent octopamine transporter (OAT) was isolated via an RT-PCR-based approach from caterpillars of the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni. The deduced amino acid sequence of the OAT cDNA predicts a 670 amino acid protein bearing strong homology to previously cloned monoamine transporters. The expression pattern of OAT mRNA in the central nervous system revealed by in situ hybridization closely resembles that of OA-ergic neurons identified by the presence of mRNA for tyramine beta-hydroxylase, a marker enzyme for OA-ergic neurons in invertebrates. In vitro, insect cells infected with OAT-expressing baculovirus accumulated both (3)H-OA and (3)H-dopamine with saturation kinetics typical of carrier-mediated processes. (3)H-dopamine uptake by OAT was most inhibited by tyramine, OA, dopamine and the tricyclic antidepressants desipramine and imipramine. Substitution studies for Na(+) and Cl(-) indicate that OAT has a strong requirement for Na(+) and a less stringent requirement for Cl(-). The pharmacological profile of OAT is distinct from those of other cloned monoamine transporters and makes OAT a potential target for neuro-active pest control agents.