Proton-assisted amino-acid transporters are conserved regulators of proliferation and amino-acid-dependent mTORC1 activation.

ABSTRACT: The phosphoinositide3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and downstream mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signalling cascades promote normal growth and are frequently hyperactivated in tumour cells. mTORC1 is also regulated by local nutrients, particularly amino acids, but the mechanisms involved are poorly understood. Unexpectedly, members of the proton-assisted amino-acid transporter (PAT or SLC36) family emerged from in vivo genetic screens in Drosophila as transporters with uniquely potent effects on mTORC1-mediated growth. In this study, we show the two human PATs that are widely expressed in normal tissues and cancer cell lines, namely PAT1 and PAT4, behave similarly to fly PATs when expressed in Drosophila. Small interfering RNA knockdown shows that these molecules are required for th

SUBMITTER: Heublein S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3018277 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature