title: Expression, regulation and function of carrier proteins for cationic amino acids.
abstract: Different carrier proteins exhibiting distinct transport properties participate in cationic amino acid transport. There are sodium-independent systems, such as b+, y+, y+L and b0,+, and a sodium-dependent system B0,+, most of which have now been identified at the molecular level. In most non-epithelial cells, members of the cationic amino acid transporter (CAT) family mediating system y+ activity seem to be the major entry pathway for cationic amino acids. CAT proteins underlie complex regulation at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional and activity levels. Recent evidence indicates that individual CAT isoforms are necessary for providing the substrate for nitric oxide synthesis, for example CAT-1 for Ca2+-independent nitric oxide production in endothelial cells and CAT-2B for sustained nitric oxide production in macrophages.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany. Closs@mail.uni-mainz.de
authors.forename: Ellen I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Closs
mesh_terms: D027182:Amino Acid Transport System y+ / Q000378:metabolism; D026923:Amino Acid Transport Systems, Basic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D012964:Sodium / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D027182:Amino Acid Transport System y+; D026923:Amino Acid Transport Systems, Basic; D012964:Sodium