Temporo-spacial microanatomical distribution of the murine sodium-dependent ascorbic acid transporters Slc23a1 and Slc23a2 in the kidney throughout development.

The two membrane transporters Slc23a1 and Slc23a2 mediate ascorbic acid uptake into cells. We recently determined the key role of Slc23a1 in renal re-absorption of ascorbic acid in a knockout mouse model. However, the renal spatial and temporal expression patterns of murine Slc23a1 and Slc23a2 are not defined. This study utilizes database evidence combined with experimental confirmation via in-situ hybridization to define the spatial and temporal expression of Slc23a1 in the murine kidney. Slc23a1 is expressed in the early proximal tubule, but not in its precursors during embryonic development, and exclusive proximal tubular expression persists throughout the animal's lifetime. In contrast, Slc23a2 is uniformly expressed in metabolic cell types such as stromal cells. The expression patterns appear to be conserved from rodent lineages to humans.