Transport of tetraethylammonium by the Malpighian tubules of Trichoplusia ni: Regional specialization and the influence of diet

[Display omitted] •TEA transport is localized to the proximal ileac plexus (PIP) of the tubule.•Rates of transport are higher in feeding larvae relative to those with empty guts.•TEA in the diet is associated with higher concentrations of TEA in secreted fluid.•Electrical potentials opposing TEA secretion are smaller in the PIP.•The distal ileac plexus appears to play a primary role in fluid secretion. Insect Malpighian tubules (MTs) play a major role in elimination of many potentially toxic compounds, including the organic cation tetraethylammonium (TEA). This paper examines transport of TEA by different segments of the MTs of the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni. The results show that the proximal ileac plexus (PIP) region of the MTs plays a dominant role in secretion of the organic cation TEA and that the rate of secretion is altered by feeding; principal cells of the proximal ileac plexus in tubules from larvae with full guts secreted TEA at higher rates than did the same cells in tubules of larvae in which the gut was empty. Michaelis-Menten analysis revealed that TEA secretion by the PIP was saturable and was blocked in a concentration-dependent manner by the organic cation cimetidine. For larvae reared from eggs on TEA-rich diet, higher concentrations of TEA in fluid secreted by the ileac plexus of tubules, and lower concentrations of TEA in the hemolymph, relative to larvae reared on control diet, is consistent with an upregulation of TEA transport in response to higher levels of dietary intake of an exogenous organic cation. The distal and proximal regions of the ileac plexus were also differentiated on the basis of transepithelial and basolateral membrane potentials and the influence of these electrical potentials on organic cation transport are discussed.