Comparative cation dependency of sugar transport by crustacean hepatopancreas and intestine

Glucose is transported in crustacean hepatopancreas and intestine by Na(+)-dependent co-transport, while Na(+)-dependent D-fructose influx has only been described for the hepatopancreas. It is still unclear if the two sugars are independently transported by two distinct cation-dependent co-transporter carrier systems. In this study, lobster (Homarus americanus) hepatopancreas brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) were used to characterize, in detail, the cation-dependency of both D-[(3)H]-glucose and D-[(3)H]-fructose influxes, while in vitro perfused intestines were employed to determine the nature of cation-dependent sugar transport across this organ. Over the sodium concentration range of 0–100 mM, both [(3)H]-glucose and [(3)H]-fructose influxes (0.1 mM; 1 min uptakes) by hepatopancreatic BBMV were hyperbolic functions of [Na(+)]. [(3)H]-glucose and [(3)H]-fructose influxes by hepatopancreatic BBMV over a potassium concentration range of 15–100 mM were hyperbolic functions of [K(+)]. Both sugars displayed significant (p<0.01) Na(+)/K(+)-dependent and cation-independent uptake processes. Transepithelial 25 µM [(3)H]-glucose and [(3)H]-fructose fluxes across lobster intestine over luminal sodium and potassium concentration ranges of 0–50 mM and 5–100 mM, respectively, were hyperbolic functions of luminal [Na(+)] and [K(+)]. As with hepatopancreatic sugar transport, transepithelial intestinal sugar transport exhibited both significant (p<0.01) Na(+)/K(+)-dependent and cation-independent processes. Results suggest that both D-glucose and D-fructose are transported by a single SGLT-type carrier in each organ with sodium being the “preferred”, high affinity, cation for both sugars in the hepatopancreas, and potassium being the “preferred”, high affinity, cation for both sugars in the intestine.