INTESTINAL NUTRIENT TRANSPORT DURING ONTOGENY OF VERTEBRATES

Patterns of transporter development are known for 12 species of vertebrates (2 fish, 1 amphibian, 1 bird, and 8 mammals), ranging from early gestation to adulthood. Although transporters for some nutrients (amino acids and some sugars) appear before the onset of external feeding, species differ in when and which transporters appear. Postnatal changes in the activities of different transporters are twofold: corresponding with shifts in the composition of a species' evolutionary diet, and the need to absorb ever-increasing quantities of food for growth and metabolism. The mechanisms responsible for the age-related shifts in rates of transport include changes in the densities, distribution, and types of transporters for specific nutrients and changes in the physicochemical characteristics of the intestinal brush-border membrane. The signals that trigger the age-related changes originate from internal preprogrammed sources and external sources, with both acting in concert to mediate intestinal development. Although much more is known for the brush-border hydrolases, recent studies with the pig suggest the ontogenetic development of hydrolases and transporters are regulated independently during early development.