Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Membrane Transporters01:31

Membrane Transporters

12.3K
Transporters are essential membrane transport proteins with functions related to cell nutrition, homeostasis, communication, etc. Approximately 7% of all genes in the human genome code for transporters or transporter-related proteins.
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...
12.3K
Facilitated Diffusion01:16

Facilitated Diffusion

554
The plasma membrane, a critical structure in cellular biology, houses an array of transporters, or carrier proteins, interspersed within its lipid bilayer. These proteins play a crucial role in solute transport through facilitated diffusion, a form of passive diffusion that uses transporters to move the molecules across the membrane.
In this process, substrates such as organic compounds and ions interact with a transporter on one side, triggering conformational changes in proteins that enable...
554
The Significance of Membrane Transport01:44

The Significance of Membrane Transport

28.8K
The transport of solutes across the cell membrane is essential for metabolic processes, like maintaining cell size and volume, generating the action potential, exchanging nutrients and gases, etc. Membrane transport can be either passive or active. It can be simple diffusion, facilitated, or mediated transport aided by transport proteins such as transporters and channels.
Transporters facilitate either an active or passive movement of solutes. They can allow a single-molecule transport down its...
28.8K
Transcellular Transport of Solutes01:23

Transcellular Transport of Solutes

3.8K
Transcellular transport of solutes is the movement of substances like monosaccharides and amino acids through polarized cells. This transport mechanism is primarily seen in epithelial and endothelial cells aided by membrane transport proteins such as channels and transporters. The tight junctions between these cells confine the membrane proteins to the two sides of the cell. The epithelial cells have distinct apical and basolateral domains. In contrast, the endothelial cells show the luminal...
3.8K
Drug Absorption Mechanism: Carrier-Mediated Membrane Transport01:19

Drug Absorption Mechanism: Carrier-Mediated Membrane Transport

4.1K
Certain large, lipid-insoluble drug molecules that resemble amino acids, peptides, or glucose, require specialized carrier proteins to facilitate their diffusion across cell membranes. This transport can occur through either facilitated diffusion, which does not require energy input, or active transport, which does require energy input.
Facilitated diffusion is a passive process that utilizes human Solute Carrier (SLC) transporters. These transporters bind to the drug, undergo structural...
4.1K
Facilitated Transport01:19

Facilitated Transport

128.8K
The chemical and physical properties of plasma membranes cause them to be selectively permeable. Since plasma membranes have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions, substances need to be able to transverse both regions. The hydrophobic area of membranes repels substances such as charged ions. Therefore, such substances need special membrane proteins to cross a membrane successfully. In  facilitated transport, also known as facilitated diffusion, molecules and ions travel across a...
128.8K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Leukemia risk factor ARID5B coordinates HDAC-mediated transcriptional repression.

Nucleic acids research·2026
Same author

Disruption of the SAGA CORE triggers collateral degradation of KAT2A.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Inhibitors supercharge kinase turnover through native proteolytic circuits.

Nature·2025
Same author

Image-based drug screening combined with molecular profiling identifies signatures and drivers of therapy resistance in pediatric AML.

Cell reports. Medicine·2025
Same author

Large-scale experimental assessment of variant effects on the structure and function of the citrate transporter SLC13A5.

Science advances·2025
Same author

Stepwise ATP translocation into the endoplasmic reticulum by human SLC35B1.

Nature·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 27, 2025

Author Spotlight: Expression and Purification of Human Solute Carrier Transporters Using Codon-Optimized Genes
07:10

Author Spotlight: Expression and Purification of Human Solute Carrier Transporters Using Codon-Optimized Genes

Published on: September 29, 2023

3.8K

A structure and evolutionary-based classification of solute carriers.

Evandro Ferrada1, Giulio Superti-Furga1,2

  • 1CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Lazarettgasse 14, AKH BT 25.3, 1090 Vienna, Austria.

Iscience
|September 27, 2022
PubMed
Summary

This study reclassifies solute carriers (SLCs) using evolutionary and structural data, identifying approximately 180 origins and 24 distinct transmembrane folds. This research enhances understanding of solute carrier evolution and function.

Keywords:
BiochemistryBiological sciencesClassification of proteinsEvolutionary biology

More Related Videos

Expression, Solubilization, and Purification of Eukaryotic Borate Transporters
08:55

Expression, Solubilization, and Purification of Eukaryotic Borate Transporters

Published on: March 7, 2019

9.8K
Selection of Transporter-Targeted Inhibitory Nanobodies by Solid-Supported-Membrane SSM-Based Electrophysiology
09:12

Selection of Transporter-Targeted Inhibitory Nanobodies by Solid-Supported-Membrane SSM-Based Electrophysiology

Published on: May 3, 2021

2.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 27, 2025

Author Spotlight: Expression and Purification of Human Solute Carrier Transporters Using Codon-Optimized Genes
07:10

Author Spotlight: Expression and Purification of Human Solute Carrier Transporters Using Codon-Optimized Genes

Published on: September 29, 2023

3.8K
Expression, Solubilization, and Purification of Eukaryotic Borate Transporters
08:55

Expression, Solubilization, and Purification of Eukaryotic Borate Transporters

Published on: March 7, 2019

9.8K
Selection of Transporter-Targeted Inhibitory Nanobodies by Solid-Supported-Membrane SSM-Based Electrophysiology
09:12

Selection of Transporter-Targeted Inhibitory Nanobodies by Solid-Supported-Membrane SSM-Based Electrophysiology

Published on: May 3, 2021

2.7K

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Solute carriers (SLCs) are a diverse group of membrane proteins crucial for transporting various molecules.
  • Existing classifications are operational and do not fully capture evolutionary or structural relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide an integrative classification of solute carriers.
  • To combine evolutionary information with proteome-wide structure models.
  • To identify new members and understand the evolution of SLCs.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of orthologous relations across 2,100 species for 455 human SLC genes.
  • Integration of evolutionary data with AlphaFold-derived proteome-wide structure models.
  • Comparative structural analyses of transmembrane folds.

Main Results:

  • Identified approximately 180 independent evolutionary origins for solute carriers.
  • Revealed 24 structurally distinct transmembrane folds, a 40% increase over previous classifications.
  • Discovered a new human solute carrier member and detailed noncanonical members.

Conclusions:

  • The study provides a refined, evolutionarily informed classification of solute carriers.
  • Uncovered novel ancestral relationships and insights into the evolution of remote homologs.
  • Established a platform for further research, including functional deorphanization hypotheses.