Graduation Term

2022

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

School of Biological Sciences

Committee Chair

Craig Gatto

Abstract

Brine shrimp (Artemia salina) are osmoregulators that survive in ~4.5 M salt. Osmoregulating organs in brine shrimp are predicted to mimic a mechanism of osmoregulation in teleost fish involving NKA, NKCC, CFTR-like Cl- channels, and sodium-specific transport through tight paracelleular tight junctions in gut and gill epithelia. Pharmocological studies of low and high salt adapted brine shrimp show that key transporters involved in teleost fish osmoregulation are also vital to brine shrimp survival in hypersaline environments. Artemia express two Na/K pump isozymes formed by different α-submits associating with a common β-subunit. A “normal” α-subunit (α1NN) or a special α-subunit (α2KK) containing two asparagine-to-lysine substitutions in the ion-binding region are known to play a role. Increased expression of α2KK in high salt adapted brine suggest the importance of the isozyme, but functionality of α2KK in Artemia is poorly understood. We introduced constructs containing full-length Artemia NKA isoforms α1NN/α2KK and functionally evaluated the constructs with electrophysiology in Xenopus oocytes. Electrophysiology studies reveal functional differences in Artemia NKA isozymes that imply importance in adaptation to hypersaline environments.

Access Type

Thesis-Open Access

DOI

https://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2022.20220705065051406263.999992

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