A class B scavenger receptor mediates the cellular uptake of carotenoids in Drosophila

被引:216
作者
Kiefer, C
Sumser, E
Wernet, MF
von Lintig, J
机构
[1] Univ Freiburg, Inst Biol Neurobiol & Anim Physiol 1, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
[2] NYU, Dept Biol, New York, NY 10003 USA
关键词
D O I
10.1073/pnas.162182899
中图分类号
O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
Carotenoids are currently being intensely investigated regarding their potential to lower the risk of chronic disease and vitamin A deficiency. Invertebrate models in which vitamin A deficiency is not lethal allow the isolation of blind but viable mutants affected in the pathway leading from dietary carotenoids to vitamin A. Using a mutant in one of these model systems, Drosophila, the vitamin A-forming enzyme has recently been molecularly identified. We now show that the molecular basis for the blindness of a different Drosophila mutant, ninaD, is a defect in the cellular uptake of carotenoids. The ninaD gene encodes a class B scavenger receptor essential for the formation of the visual chromophore. A loss of this function results in a carotenoid-free and thus vitamin A-deficient phenotype. Our investigations provide molecular insight into how carotenoids may be distributed into cells of target tissues in animals and indicate a crucial role of class B scavenger receptors rendering dietary carotenoids available for subsequent cell metabolism, as needed for their various physiological functions.
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页码:10581 / 10586
页数:6
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