Cloning of the 16-kDa V-ATPase Proteolipid Subunit From the Red Imported Fire Ant Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

摘要

V-ATPases are ubiquitous proton pumps found in eukaryotes, and . are important in regulating the pH of cell compartments and in creating membrane potentials. The V.ATPase creates a proton gra- dient that is used as an energy source for the transport of other ions. The 16-kDa proteolipid is the proton-translocating subunit c ofV-ATPases. Using PCR methods, we have cloned the fire ant 16-kDa subunit c, providing the first molecular characterization of this protein in a social insect. Northern blot analysis revealed three possible different transcripts. The presence of V-ATPases in ant Malpighian tubules had been previously demonstrated, where they provide the proton gradient necessary for the excre- tion of other ions and the formation of primary urine. The 16- kDa proteolipid is highly conserved among insects, and in ants may be important to the critical processes of diuresis and olfac- tion as a key component of the V-ATPase. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 45:109-116, 2000.