Student Major/Year in School
Medical Biochemistry, Third Year
Faculty Mentor Information
Maureen Gorman, Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, College of Arts and Sciences
Abstract
Pilot Studies of Two Possible Iron Uptake Mechanisms in Insect Cells
Michelle E. Coca, Diana G. Najera, and Dr. Maureen J. Gorman
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics
College of Arts and Sciences
Iron plays an important role in energy metabolism and other essential physiological processes; however, because iron can also be toxic, its uptake by cells must be strictly regulated. In humans, there is a well-understood pathway of iron uptake and multiple poorly understood pathways. How iron is transported into insect cells is unknown. The goal of this study was to test two models of iron uptake by cultured insect cells. The first model involves endocytic uptake of protein-bound iron. The second model involves uptake of iron through a ferrous transporter. For our first set of experiments, we used Sg4 cells, an isolate of the well-studied Drosophila melanogaster S2 cell line, growing in Schneider’s medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. We found that Sg4 cells express rab5 (an essential component of endosomes), secreted ferritin, membrane-bound transferrin, two ferric reductases, and a ferrous transporter. Treating cells with endocytosis inhibitors had no effect on iron content; therefore, endocytosis does not seem to be required for iron uptake by Sg4 cells. In contrast, sequestering iron with a ferrous chelator decreased the iron content of treated cells, suggesting that the ferrous form of iron is involved in the uptake process. Our tentative conclusion is that insect cells take up iron via a mechanism that involves a ferrous transporter. A better understanding of iron uptake in insects could lead to better insect control strategies and also provide insight into the less understood iron uptake mechanisms of humans.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Coca, Michelle (2019). "Pilot Studies of Two Possible Iron Uptake Mechanisms in Insect Cells," Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference. https://newprairiepress.org/ksuugradresearch/2019/posters/49
Pilot Studies of Two Possible Iron Uptake Mechanisms in Insect Cells
Pilot Studies of Two Possible Iron Uptake Mechanisms in Insect Cells
Michelle E. Coca, Diana G. Najera, and Dr. Maureen J. Gorman
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics
College of Arts and Sciences
Iron plays an important role in energy metabolism and other essential physiological processes; however, because iron can also be toxic, its uptake by cells must be strictly regulated. In humans, there is a well-understood pathway of iron uptake and multiple poorly understood pathways. How iron is transported into insect cells is unknown. The goal of this study was to test two models of iron uptake by cultured insect cells. The first model involves endocytic uptake of protein-bound iron. The second model involves uptake of iron through a ferrous transporter. For our first set of experiments, we used Sg4 cells, an isolate of the well-studied Drosophila melanogaster S2 cell line, growing in Schneider’s medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. We found that Sg4 cells express rab5 (an essential component of endosomes), secreted ferritin, membrane-bound transferrin, two ferric reductases, and a ferrous transporter. Treating cells with endocytosis inhibitors had no effect on iron content; therefore, endocytosis does not seem to be required for iron uptake by Sg4 cells. In contrast, sequestering iron with a ferrous chelator decreased the iron content of treated cells, suggesting that the ferrous form of iron is involved in the uptake process. Our tentative conclusion is that insect cells take up iron via a mechanism that involves a ferrous transporter. A better understanding of iron uptake in insects could lead to better insect control strategies and also provide insight into the less understood iron uptake mechanisms of humans.
