Structural basis for amino acid transport by the CAT family of SLC7 transporters.

ABSTRACT: Amino acids play essential roles in cell biology as regulators of metabolic pathways. Arginine in particular is a major signalling molecule inside the cell, being a precursor for both l-ornithine and nitric oxide (NO) synthesis and a key regulator of the mTORC1 pathway. In mammals, cellular arginine availability is determined by members of the solute carrier (SLC) 7 family of cationic amino acid transporters. Whereas CAT-1 functions to supply cationic amino acids for cellular metabolism, CAT-2A and -2B are required for macrophage activation and play important roles in regulating inflammation. Here, we present the crystal structure of a close homologue of the mammalian CAT transporters that reveals how these proteins specifically recognise arginine. Our structural and functional data provid

SUBMITTER: Jungnickel KEJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5803215 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature