Kidney function and sulphate transport in Pacific Hagfish (Eptatretus Stoutii)
journal contribution
posted on 2024-05-16, 05:30authored byGreg G Goss, Aaron SchultzAaron Schultz, Brendan L Goss, Alexander M Clifford
The hagfish diverged from vertebrate lineage ~550–600 mya and therefore represent a unique model to study early ionoregulatory strategies. Whilst hagfish are osmoconformers for Na+ and Cl−, these animals have plasma concentrations of the divalent (Ca2+, Mg2+ and S042‐) ions at 1/3 to 1/2 seawater. A difficulty in molecular research involving hagfish is the lack of genomic information. Using a recently obtained hagfish Illumina transcriptome, we have identified a putative sulfate transporter (SLC26a1). We investigated if hagfish possess active S042‐ handling mechanisms by injecting a chronic (3 day) S042‐ load to upregulate potential S042‐ handling and transporting abilities. Using 3H‐ inulin and 35S (as S042‐) injections into the blood, we monitored both GFR and net S042‐ excretion. We also investigated the changes in expression of hfSLC26a1. We determined that Pacific hagfish have a relatively high GFR (~ 0.46 mls/kg/h) despite being osmoconformers and are able to increase sulfate excretion/handling following chronic S042‐loading from 0.06 umol/kg/h to 0.28 umol/kg/h.