Amino acid homeostasis in Caenorhabditis elegans: Role of peptide and heteromeric amino acid transporters
Final Report Abstract
• Taken together, we identified the two amino acid transporter AAT-6 and Y4C6B.2 as essential for the amino acid supply and body maintenance in peptide transporter deficient C. elegans. Loss of either one in a pept-1(lg601) background leads to sterility and to a reduced body length. The focus is now on the particular cellular function of both transporters, the side of expression and the substrate specificity. • The RNAi screen for modulators of PEPT-1 revealed four proteins that directly or indirectly control the function of the intestinal peptide transporter. The gene knockdown of three genes indicated an enhancer function while one candidate seems to act as an PEPT-1 inhibitor/suppressor. Key questions are here: a) how do the two putative peptidases control expression/function of PEPT1 and which signalling cascades are involved? b) what role does the intracellular amino acid concentration play in control of body length development and reproduction? c) which role has PEPT1 in glutathione homeostasis? and d) do these modulators also play a role in the extreme longevity phenotype found in worms with defects of the insulin-like signalling cascade and lacking PEPT1?
Publications
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(2009) How the intestinal peptide transporter contributes to an obesity phenotype in Caenorhabditits elegans. PLOS One 4(7):e6279
Spanier, B., Lasch, K., Marsch, S., Benner, J., Liao, W., Hu, H., Kienberger, H., Eisenreich, W. and Daniel, H.
