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The effect of iron on message expression in Anopheles gambiae 4a3b cells
Author(s) -
Bridgers Joshua S. D.,
Geiser Dawn L.,
Winzerling Joy J.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.20.4.a98-c
Subject(s) - dmt1 , anopheles gambiae , ferritin , ferric , hepcidin , biology , ferroportin , biochemistry , transporter , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , malaria , gene , immunology , inflammation , organic chemistry
Everyday malaria transmitted by Anopheles gambiae kills between 1900‐7400(1) people worldwide. Female mosquitoes, such as A. gambiae (Diptera), require a blood meal for oogenesis. Females receive a potentially toxic level of iron in the blood meal in heme and non‐heme forms. In mammalian species, the divalent metal transporter, DMT1 (NRAMP2), is the primary importer for the absorption of non‐heme iron from the intestinal lumen into the epithelial cells. Mosquito ferritin is composed of heavy chain (HCH) and light chain (LCH) subunits that are homologues of the vertebrate ferritin subunits and is the chief iron storage protein for these animals. We have successfully obtained the cDNA sequences for the putative DMT1, as well as for the HCH, LCH and iron responsive protein 1 (IRP1) from A. gambiae . Our preliminary experiments demonstrated that DMT1 message in A. gambiae MOS55 cells has a biphasic response to increasing concentrations of ferric ammonium citrate. We are now studying the expression of the messages for DMT1, HCH, LCH and IRP1 under varying concentrations of iron excess, iron deprivation and a ferric rescue in A. gambiae 4a3b cells. Future studies will include western blotting analysis and IRP1 binding activity assays. The research is funded by the United States Geological Service Minority Training Program and NIH (GM056812).