Solute Carrier Family 16, Member 5 (SLC16A5)

Using sequence data obtained from searching an EST database with the protein sequences of several MCTs, Price et al. (1998) screened a human placenta cDNA library and isolated a cDNA encoding a novel MCT family member, MCT6. The full-length MCT6 cDNA encodes a predicted 505-amino acid protein with 12 transmembrane domains.

MCT6 shares between 25% and 39% amino acid identity with MCT1, MCT2, MCT4, MCT5, MCT7, and XPCT (SLC16A2). Northern blot analysis showed that the 2.0-kb MCT6 mRNA was expressed at extremely high levels in human kidney and at lower levels in several other tissues. Since kidney possesses a very active Na(+)-linked MCT, the authors speculated that MCT6 may be a Na(+)-linked transporter.