Functional and structural characterization of the zebrafish Na+-sulfate cotransporter 1 (NaS1) cDNA and gene (slc13a1)

Abstract

Sulfate plays an essential role during growth, development and cellular metabolism. In this study, we characterized the function and structure of the zebrafish (Danio rerio) Na+-sulfate cotransporter 1 (NaS1) cDNA and gene (slc13a1). Zebrafish NaS1 encodes a protein of 583 amino acids with 13 putative transmembrane domains. Expression of zebrafish NaS1 protein in Xenopus oocytes led to Na+-sulfate cotransport, which was significantly inhibited by thiosulfate, selenate, molybdate, and tungstate. Zebrafish NaS1 transport kinetics were: V(max) = 1,731.670 +/- 92.853 pmol sulfate/oocyte.hour and K(m) = 1.414 +/- 0.275 mM for sulfate and V(max) = 307.016 +/- 32.992 pmol sulfate/oocyte x hour, K(m) = 24.582 +/- 4.547 mM and n (Hill coefficient) = 1.624 +/- 0.354 for sodium. Zebrafish NaS1 mRNA is developmentally expressed in embryos from day 1 postfertilization and in the intestine, kidney, brain, and eye of adult zebrafish. The zebrafish NaS1 gene slc13a1 contains 15 exons spanning 8,716 bp. Characterization of the zebrafish NaS1 contributes to a greater understanding of sulfate transporters in a well-defined genetic model and will allow the elucidation of evolutionary and functional relationships among vertebrate sulfate transporters.