Characterisation of intestinal peptide transporter of the Antarctic haemoglobinless teleost Chionodraco hamatus.

H(+)/peptide cotransport was studied in brush-border membrane vesicles (BBMV) from the intestine of the haemoglobinless Antarctic teleost Chionodraco hamatus by monitoring peptide-dependent intravesicular acidification with the pH-sensitive dye Acridine Orange. Diethylpyrocarbonate-inhibited intravesicular acidification was specifically achieved in the presence of extravesicular glycyl-L-proline (Gly-L-Pro) as well as of glycyl-L-alanine (Gly-L-Ala) and D-phenylalanyl-L-alanine (D-Phe-L-Ala). H(+)/Gly-L-Pro cotransport displayed saturable kinetics, involving a single carrier system with an apparent substrate affinity (K(m,app)) of 0.806+/-0.161 mmol l(-1). Using degenerated primers from eel and human (PepT1) transporter sequence, a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) signal was detected in C. hamatus intestine. RT-PCR paralleled kinetic analysis, confirming the hypothesis of the existence of a PepT1-type transport system in the brush-border membranes of icefish intestine. Functional expression of H(+)/peptide cotransport was successfully performed in Xenopus laevis oocytes after injection of poly(A)(+) RNA (mRNA) isolated from icefish intestinal mucosa. Injection of mRNA stimulated D-Phe-L-Ala uptake in a dose-dependent manner and an excess of glycyl-L-glutamine inhibited this transport. H(+)/peptide cotransport in the Antarctic teleost BBMV exhibited a marked difference in temperature optimum with respect to the temperate teleost Anguilla anguilla, the maximal activity rate occurring at approximately 0 degrees C for the former and 25 degrees C for the latter. Temperature dependence of icefish and eel intestinal mRNA-stimulated uptake in the heterologous system (oocytes) was comparable.