L-Type Amino Acid Transporter 2 (y+LAT2)

Using RT-PCR with degenerate primers to screen for amino acid transporters in opossum kidney, followed by searching EST databases, Torrents et al. (1998) obtained a cDNA encoding SLC7A6, which they called y(+)LAT2. SLC7A6 is identical to the KIAA0245 gene reported by Nagase et al. (1996). Sequence analysis predicted that SLC7A6 is a 515-amino acid, typical organic solute transporter protein with 12 transmembrane domains, 3 potential phosphorylation sites, and N- and C-terminal cytoplasmic segments. SLC7A6 shares 75% amino acid identity with the opossum sequence and y(+)LAT1 (SLC7A7). By RT-PCR analysis, Nagase et al. (1996) detected SLC7A6 expression in all tissues tested except liver; expression was weak in pancreas and highest in thymus.