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Structure, function and evolution of solute transporters in prokaryotes and eukaryotes
1Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA.
The Journal of Experimental Biology
|November 1, 1994
Summary
Organic solute transporters, crucial for cell function, are broadly categorized as passive or active. Recent advances in cloning and expression systems have significantly expanded our knowledge of mammalian transporters.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Organic solute transport is vital in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, involving passive and active mechanisms.
- Progress in understanding bacterial transporters contrasts with earlier challenges in mammalian membrane protein analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To survey known transport systems across diverse organisms.
- To illustrate mammalian transporter diversity using recent laboratory findings.
Main Methods:
- Expression cloning in Xenopus oocytes.
- Uptake studies and electrophysiological experiments.
- Analysis of recombinant protein activity in individual cells.
Main Results:
- Identification and cloning of novel mammalian transporter cDNAs.
- Revealed unifying designs, energy-coupling mechanisms, and evolutionary origins of transporters.
- Provided a survey of transport systems in bacteria, yeast, plants, insects, and vertebrates.
Conclusions:
- Advances in expression cloning have overcome previous limitations in studying mammalian transporters.
- Sequence and functional data highlight conserved principles in transporter biology.
- Comparative analysis deepens understanding of transporter evolution and function across species.