A putative H+-K+-ATPase in the Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina: primary sequence and expression in gills

In mammals, the gastric H(+)-K(+)-ATPase (HKalpha1) mediates acid secretion in the stomach and kidneys. Like mammals, elasmobranchs also secrete acid from their stomachs, but unlike mammals they primarily use their gills for systemic acid excretion instead of their kidneys. The purpose of this study was to determine if an HKalpha1 orthologue exists in an elasmobranch (Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina), to determine if it is expressed in gills and, if so, to localize its expression and determine if its expression is regulated during hypercapnia or freshwater acclimation. A polyclonal antibody made against an HKalpha1 peptide detected HKalpha1 immunoreactivity in protein isolates and tissue sections of stingray stomachs and gills. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that HKalpha1 immunoreactivity was present in a subpopulation of epithelial cells in both organs. Double-labeling experiments in the gills showed that HKalpha1 immunoreactivity occurred in Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase-rich cells and not in V-type H(+)-ATPase-rich cells. RT-PCRs were used to deduce the primary sequence of a putative H(+)-K(+)-ATPase from the stomach of Atlantic stingrays. The 3,421-base pair cDNA includes a coding region for a 1,025-amino acid protein that is over 80% identical to HKalpha1 of mammals. RT-PCRs were then used to demonstrate that this transcript is also expressed in the gills. To our knowledge, this is the first H(+)-K(+)-ATPase sequence reported for any elasmobranch and the first full-length sequence for any fish. We also provide the first evidence for its expression in the gills of any fish and demonstrate that its expression increased during freshwater acclimation but not exposure to hypercapnia.