Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 7, 2026

Application of Electrophysiology Measurement to Study the Activity of Electro-Neutral Transporters
Published on: February 3, 2018
Physiological and pharmacokinetic roles of H+/organic cation antiporters (MATE/SLC47A)
Tomohiro Terada1, Ken-ichi Inui
1Department of Pharmacy, Kyoto University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
Abstract:
Vectorial secretion of cationic compounds across tubular epithelial cells is an important function of the kidney. This uni-directed transport is mediated by two cooperative functions, which are membrane potential-dependent organic cation transporters at the basolateral membranes and H+/organic cation antiporters at the brush-border membranes. More than 10 years ago, the basolateral organic cation transporters (OCT1-3/SLC22A1-3) were isolated, and molecular understandings for the basolateral entry of cationic drugs have been greatly advanced. However, the molecular nature of H+/organic cation antiport systems remains unclear. Recently, mammalian orthologues of the multidrug and toxin extrusion (MATE) family of bacteria have been isolated and clarified to function as H+/organic cation antiporters. In this commentary, the molecular characteristics and pharmacokinetic roles of mammalian MATEs are critically overviewed focusing on the renal secretion of cationic drugs.
More Related Videos
07:10High-Throughput Expression and Purification of Human Solute Carriers for Structural and Biochemical Studies
Published on: September 29, 2023
07:38Functional Characterization of Na+/H+ Exchangers of Intracellular Compartments Using Proton-killing Selection to Express Them at the Plasma Membrane
Published on: March 30, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Active Transport
Primary active transporters, like Na+, K+ and -ATPase, directly utilize ATP to move ions across the membrane. These transporters play significant roles in various physiological processes. For instance, Na+, K+ and -ATPase maintain...
Membrane Transporters
Transporters are mainly composed of alpha-helices, built from bundles of ten or more helices traversing the plasma membrane. The solute-binding sites are located midway, where some of the helices are broken or distorted, making space for the binding site through...
Pharmacogenetics of Drug Transporters: P-Glycoprotein and Solute Carrier Transporters
Carrier-Mediated Transport
Active transport involves two types of membrane-spanning transporters: uptake and efflux. Uptake transporters are expressed in the small...
Facilitated Diffusion
In this process, substrates such as organic compounds and ions interact with a transporter on one side, triggering conformational changes in proteins that enable...
Drug Absorption Mechanism: Carrier-Mediated Membrane Transport
Facilitated diffusion is a passive process that utilizes human Solute Carrier (SLC) transporters. These transporters bind to the drug, undergo structural...