Plasma membrane folate transport in fungi and plants is mediated by members of the oligopeptide transporter (OPT) family.

ABSTRACT: Folates are essential for all organisms. They are acquired either through de novo biosynthesis or from the diet. Yeast, fungi, and plants make their own folates, and it has not been clear if plasma membrane folate transporters exist in these organisms. Using a synthetic lethal screen in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we observed that deletions in a gene encoding the previously identified glutathione (GSH) transporter, OPT1, exhibited severe growth defects with a disruption in folate biosynthesis. Uptake experiments confirmed that Opt1p/Hgt1p can transport folinic acid and the naturally abundant methyl tetrahydrofolate. As S. cerevisiae Opt1p was able to transport both folate and GSH, we used alanine-scanning mutants in the transmembrane domains of the channel pore to identify the residues requi

SUBMITTER: Vashist N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12687453 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature