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Examination of Avian Renal Tissue for the Presence of Sodium‐glucose Co‐transporters
Author(s) -
Isaacs Jim M,
Braun Eldon J
Publication year - 2012
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.26.1_supplement.886.26
Subject(s) - reabsorption , kidney , medicine , glucose transporter , endocrinology , sodium , biology , renal glucose reabsorption , plasma glucose , chemistry , diabetes mellitus , insulin , type 2 diabetes mellitus , organic chemistry
Given animals of similar body mass, birds have been shown to have much higher plasma glucose concentrations than that of mammals. However, birds appear not to show the pathological symptoms associated with high plasma glucose levels as seen in mammals. As the glomerular filtration rates (on a mass specific basis) of birds and mammals are not significantly different and with higher plasma glucose levels, birds must have a larger filtered load of glucose. Despite this there is little or no detectable glucose in the ureteral urine of birds. This suggests that the mechanisms for glucose reabsorption by the bird kidney must be significantly up‐regulated. In mammals glucose reabsorption is achieved through the sodium‐glucose co‐transport proteins (SGLTs) located in the apical cell membrane of the proximal renal tubule. The putative SGLTs within the avian kidney have not been isolated or characterized. Antibodies against mammal (rabbit) SGLT2 were used to isolate SGLTs from renal tissue harvested from Mourning doves. We have been able to demonstrate the presence of an immuno‐reactive protein in the kidneys of doves albeit not at the same intensity as that the rat kidney used as control. Using primers developed from known sequences of bovine SGLT2 DNA, RT‐PCR was used to further identify avian SGLTs.