Regulation of intestinal phosphate transport. I. Segmental expression and adaptation to low-P(i) diet of the type IIb Na(+)-P(i) cotransporter in mouse small intestine.

The Na(+)-P(i) cotransporter NaPi-IIb (SLC34A2) has been described to be involved in mouse small intestinal absorption of P(i) and to be regulated by a number of hormones and metabolic factors. However, a possible segmental expression of NaPi-llb in small intestine has not been addressed so far. Here, we describe that the NaPi-IIb cotransporter is highly abundant in the ileum of mouse small intestine, whereas it is almost absent in the duodenum and in the jejunum. Na(+)-P(i) cotransport studies with isolated brush border membranes confirmed that NaPi-IIb cotransport is highest in the ileum. Upregulation by a low-phosphate diet of NaPi-IIb and NaPi-IIb cotransport was observed both in the jejunum and the ileum. Furthermore, evidence is provided that a low-phosphate diet provokes an increase of the NaPi-IIb mRNA abundance along the entire small intestine. These data suggest that in mouse small intestine, phosphate is absorbed transcellulary by an Na(+)-dependent pathway in the ileum, whereas in the duodenum and jejunum, this pathway is of minimal importance. Furthermore, we conclude that along the entire mouse small intestine, low-phosphate diet affects transcription and/or the stability of NaPi-IIb mRNA.