Ammonia excretion in Caenorhabditis elegans: mechanism and evidence of ammonia transport of the Rhesus protein CeRhr-1

The Journal of Experimental Biology
Aida AdlimoghaddamDirk Weihrauch

Abstract

The soil-dwelling nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a bacteriovorous animal, excreting the vast majority of its nitrogenous waste as ammonia (25.3±1.2 µmol gFW(-1) day(-1)) and very little urea (0.21±0.004 µmol gFW(-1) day(-1)). Although these roundworms have been used for decades as genetic model systems, very little is known about their strategy to eliminate the toxic waste product ammonia from their bodies into the environment. The current study provides evidence that ammonia is at least partially excreted via the hypodermis. Starvation reduced the ammonia excretion rates by more than half, whereas mRNA expression levels of the Rhesus protein CeRhr-2, V-type H(+)-ATPase (subunit A) and Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase (α-subunit) decreased correspondingly. Moreover, ammonia excretion rates were enhanced in media buffered to pH 5 and decreased at pH 9.5. Inhibitor experiments, combined with enzyme activity measurements and mRNA expression analyses, further suggested that the excretion mechanism involves the participation of the V-type H(+)-ATPase, carbonic anhydrase, Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase, and a functional microtubule network. These findings indicate that ammonia is excreted, not only by apical ammonia trapping, but also via vesicular transpor...Continue Reading

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Citations

Mar 16, 2016·Scientific Reports·Lei ChenYu-Dong Cai
Nov 4, 2015·Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry·Kodjo ElohPierluigi Caboni
Aug 24, 2016·Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience·Aida AdlimoghaddamBenedict C Albensi
Feb 14, 2016·Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part A, Molecular & Integrative Physiology·Aida AdlimoghaddamDirk Weihrauch
Jan 24, 2018·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Stephanie HansDirk Weihrauch
Nov 18, 2016·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Daniel ThielDirk Weihrauch
Nov 26, 2016·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Andrea C DurantAndrew Donini
Jul 17, 2015·American Journal of Physiology. Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology·Alex R Quijada-RodriguezDirk Weihrauch
Sep 27, 2020·Biometals : an International Journal on the Role of Metal Ions in Biology, Biochemistry, and Medicine·Breno Pannia EspósitoMichael Aschner
Jan 31, 2018·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Dirk WeihrauchGarett J P Allen
Dec 19, 2018·Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences·Britta SpanierHannelore Daniel
Feb 9, 2021·Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part B, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology·Garett Joseph Patrick Allen, Dirk Weihrauch

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