Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 10, 2025

Study of the Functions and Activities of Neuronal K-Cl Co-Transporter KCC2 Using Western Blotting
Published on: December 9, 2022
Characterizations of the Urate Transporter, GLUT9, and Its Potent Inhibitors by Patch-Clamp Technique
Yanyu Chen1, Zean Zhao1, Yongmei Li1
1Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Abstract:
Glucose transporter 9 (GLUT9), which transports urate in an electrogenic and voltage-dependent manner, plays an important role in the maintenance of normal blood uric acid/urate levels. In the present study, we established a cell model based on the single-electrode patch-clamp technique for characterization of GLUT9 and explored the inhibitory effects of benzobromarone (BM) and probenecid (PB) on urate-induced currents in mouse GLUT9a (mGLUT9a)-expressing HEK-293T cells. The results showed that uric acid, rather than glucose perfusion, led to a rapid and large outward current by mGLUT9a in dose-, voltage-, and pH-dependent manners. BM prominently and irreversibly inhibited the uric acid-induced currents through mGLUT9a, and PB weakly and reversibly inhibited mGLUT9a. We found that depletion of K+ in the external solution significantly strengthened the blockade of BM on mGLUT9a. In addition, an enhanced inhibitory rate of BM was detected when the pH of the external solution was changed from 7.4 to 5.5, indicating that BM functions optimally in an acidic environment. In conclusion, the combination of the established cell model with patch-clamp techniques first revealed the function properties of GLUT9 inhibitors and may provide potential benefits to the study of GLUT9 inhibitors as antihyperuricemic or antigout agents.
Related Concept Videos
Patch Clamp
In this method, a glass micropipette containing electrolyte solution is tightly sealed against a small portion of the cell membrane. As a result, a patch of the cell...
Drug Elimination by Renal Route: Tubular Secretion
Pore Transport and Ion-Pair Transport
Pore transport, also known as convective transport, is a process where small molecules like urea, water, and sugars rapidly cross cell membranes as though there were channels or pores in the membrane. Although direct microscopic evidence is limited but the concept of pores or channels is widely accepted based on physiological evidence. Despite the lack of direct...
Renal Drug Excretion: Tubular Secretion
The Significance of Membrane Transport
Transporters facilitate either an active or passive movement of solutes. They can allow a single-molecule transport down its...

