The inner mantle of the giant clam, Tridacna squamosa, expresses a basolateral Na+/K+-ATPase α-subunit, which displays light-dependent gene and protein expression along the shell-facing epithelium

PLoS One. 2017 Oct 19;12(10):e0186865. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186865. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA) is essential for maintaining the Na+ and K+ gradients, and supporting the secondary active transport of certain ions/molecules, across the plasma membrane of animal cells. This study aimed to clone the NKA α-subunit (NKAα) from the inner mantle adjacent to the extrapallial fluid of Tridacna squamosa, to determine its subcellular localization, and to examine the effects of light exposure on its transcript level and protein abundance. The cDNA coding sequence of NKAα from T. squamosa comprised 3105 bp, encoding 1034 amino acids with an estimated molecular mass of 114 kDa. NKAα had a basolateral localization along the shell-facing epithelium of the inner mantle. Exposure to 12 h of light led to a significantly stronger basolateral NKAα-immunofluorescence at the shell-facing epithelium, indicating that NKA might play a role in light-enhanced calcification in T. squamosa. After 3 h of light exposure, the transcript level of NKAα decreased transiently in the inner mantle, but returned to the control level thereafter. In comparison, the protein abundance of NKAα remained unchanged at hour 3, but became significantly higher than the control after 12 h of light exposure. Hence, the expression of NKAα in the inner mantle of T. squamosa was light-dependent. It is probable that a higher expression level of NKA was needed in the shell-facing epithelial cells of the inner mantle to cope with a rise in Na+ influx, possibly caused by increases in activities of some Na+-dependent ion transporters/channels involved in light-enhanced calcification.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Bivalvia / metabolism*
  • Blotting, Western
  • DNA, Complementary
  • Epithelium / metabolism
  • Light*
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase / chemistry
  • Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase / genetics
  • Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase / metabolism*

Substances

  • DNA, Complementary
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase

Grants and funding

This study was funded in part by the Singapore Millennium Foundation (R-347-000-212-592) and the Ministry of Education (R-154-000-A37-114) to Yuen K. Ip. The URLs for both the Singapore Millennium Foundation and the Ministry of Education can be found here, respectively: http://www.singaporemillenniumfoundation.com.sg/; https://www.moe.gov.sg/. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.