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Background: Cellular amino acid withdrawal/hypertonicity induces an adaptive increase in the expression, stability, and function of the SNAT2 amino acid transporter. Results: Linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated fatty acid, suppresses the adaptive increase by targeting SNAT2 for proteolysis. Conclusion: Linoleic acid promotes SNAT2 degradation via the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway. Significance: The study provides the first evidence that SNAT2 stability is modulated by fatty acid availability., Expression and activity of the System A/SNAT2 (SLC38A2) amino acid transporter is up-regulated by amino acid starvation and hypertonicity by a mechanism dependent on both ATF4-mediated transcription of the SLC38A2 gene and enhanced stabilization of SNAT2 itself, which forms part of an integrated cellular stress response to nutrient deprivation and osmotic stress. Here we demonstrate that this adaptive increase in System A function is restrained in cells subjected to prior incubation with linoleic acid (LOA, an unsaturated C18:2 fatty acid) for 24 h. While fatty acid treatment had no detectable effect upon stress-induced SNAT2 or ATF4 gene transcription, the associated increase in SNAT2 protein/membrane transport activity were strongly suppressed in L6 myotubes or HeLa cells preincubated with LOA. Cellular ubiquitination of many proteins was increased by LOA and although the fatty acid-induced loss of SNAT2 could be attenuated by proteasomal inhibition, the functional increase in System A transport activity associated with amino acid starvation/hypertonicity that depends upon processing/maturation and delivery of SNAT2 to the cell surface could not be rescued. LOA up-regulated cellular expression of Nedd4.2, an E3-ligase implicated in SNAT2 ubiquitination, but shRNA-directed Nedd4.2 gene silencing could not curb fatty acid-induced loss of SNAT2 adaptation. However, expression of SNAT2 in which seven putative lysyl-ubiquitination sites in the cytoplasmic N-terminal domain were mutated to alanine protected SNAT2 against LOA-induced proteasomal degradation. Collectively, our findings indicate that increased availability of unsaturated fatty acids can compromise the stress-induced induction/adaptation in SNAT2 expression and function by promoting its degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome system.

The neutral amino acid transporter 2 (SNAT2), which belongs to the SLC38 family of solute transporters, couples the transport of amino acid to the cotransport of one Na(+) ion into the cell. Several polar amino acids are highly conserved within the SLC38 family. Here, we mutated three of these conserved amino acids, Asn(82) in the predicted transmembrane domain 1 (TMD1), Tyr(337) in TMD7, and Arg(374) in TMD8; and we studied the functional consequences of these modifications. The mutation of N82A virtually eliminated the alanine-induced transport current, as well as amino acid uptake by SNAT2. In contrast, the mutations Y337A and R374Q did not abolish amino acid transport. The K(m) of SNAT2 for its interaction with Na(+), K(Na(+)), was dramatically reduced by the N82A mutation, whereas the more conservative mutation N82S resulted in a K(Na(+)) that was in between SNAT2(N82A) and SNAT2(WT). These results were interpreted as a reduction of Na(+) affinity caused by the Asn(82) mutations, suggesting that these mutations interfere with the interaction of SNAT2 with the sodium ion. As a consequence of this dramatic reduction in Na(+) affinity, the apparent K(m) of SNAT2(N82A) for alanine was increased 27-fold compared with that of SNAT2(WT). Our results demonstrate a direct or indirect involvement of Asn(82) in Na(+) coordination by SNAT2. Therefore, we predict that TMD1 is crucial for the function of SLC38 transporters and that of related families.

Mammalian nutrient sensors are novel targets for therapeutic intervention in disease states such as insulin resistance and muscle wasting; however, the proteins responsible for this important task are largely uncharacterized. To address this issue we have dissected an amino acid (AA) sensor/effector regulon that controls the expression of the System A amino acid transporter SNAT2 in mammalian cells, a paradigm nutrient-responsive process, and found evidence for the convergence of at least two sensor/effector pathways. During AA withdrawal, JNK is activated and induces the expression of SNAT2 in L6 myotubes by stimulating an intronic nutrient-sensitive domain. A sensor for large neutral AA (e.g. Tyr, Gln) inhibits JNK activation and SNAT2 up-regulation. Additionally, shRNA and transporter chimeras demonstrate that SNAT2 provides a repressive signal for gene transcription during AA sufficiency, thus echoing AA sensing by transceptor (transporter-receptor) orthologues in yeast (Gap1/Ssy1) and Drosophila (PATH). Furthermore, the SNAT2 protein is stabilized during AA withdrawal.

Recently, we cloned the ATA/SNAT transporters responsible for amino acid transport system A. System A is one of the major transport systems for small neutral and glucogenic amino acids represented by alanine and is involved in the metabolism of glucose and fat. Here, we describe the cellular mechanisms that participate in the acute translocation of ATA2 by insulin stimulus in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. We monitored this insulin-stimulated translocation of ATA2 using an expression system of enhanced green fluorescent protein-tagged ATA2. Studies in living cells revealed that ATA2 is stored in a discrete perinuclear site and that the transporter is released in vesicles from this site toward the plasma membrane. In immunofluorescent analysis, the storage site of ATA2 overlapped with the location of syntaxin 6, a marker of the trans-Golgi network (TGN), but not with that of EEA1, a marker of the early endosomes. The ATA2-containing vesicles on or near the plasma membrane were distinct from GLUT4-containing vesicles. Brefeldin A, an inhibitor of vesicular exit from the TGN, caused morphological changes in the ATA2 storage site along with the similar changes in the TGN. In non-transfected adipocytes, brefeldin A inhibited insulin-stimulated uptake of α-(methylamino)isobutyric acid more profoundly than insulin-stimulated uptake of 2-deoxy-d-glucose. These data demonstrate that the ATA2 storage site is specifically associated with the TGN and not with the general endosomal recycling system. Thus, the insulin-stimulated translocation pathways for ATA2 and GLUT4 in adipocytes are distinct, involving different storage sites.

We report here that ubiquitin ligase Nedd4-2 regulates amino acid transporter ATA2 activity on the cell surface. We first found that a proteasome inhibitor MG132 increased the uptake of alpha-(methylamino)isobutyric acid, a model substrate for amino acid transport system A, in 3T3-L1 adipocytes as well as the preadipocytes. Transient expression of Nedd4-2 in Xenopus oocytes and Chinese hamster ovary cells down-regulated the ATA2 transport activity induced by injected cRNA and transfected cDNA, respectively. Neither the Nedd4-2 mutant with defective catalytic domain nor c-Cbl affected the ATA2 activity significantly. RNA-mediated interference of Nedd4-2 increased the ATA2 activity in the cells, and this was associated with decreased polyubiquitination of ATA2 on the cell surface membrane. Immunofluorescent analysis of Nedd4-2 in the adipocytes stably transfected with the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-tagged ATA2 showed the co-localization of Nedd4-2 and EGFP-ATA2 in the plasma membrane but not in the perinuclear ATA2 storage site, supporting the idea that the primary site for the ubiquitination of ATA2 is the plasma membrane. These data suggest that ATA2 on the plasma membrane is subject to polyubiquitination by Nedd4-2 with consequent endocytotic sequestration and proteasomal degradation and that this process is an important determinant of the density of ATA2 functioning on the cell surface.

Nutritional stress caused by amino acid starvation involves a coordinated cellular response that includes the global decrease of protein synthesis and the increased production of cell defense proteins. Part of this response is the induction of transport system A for neutral amino acids that leads to the recovery of cell volume and amino acid levels once extracellular amino acid availability is restored. Hypertonic stress also increases system A activity as a mechanism to promote a rapid recovery of cell volume. Both a starvation-dependent and a hypertonic increase of system A transport activity are due to the induction of SNAT2, the ubiquitous member of SLC38 family. The molecular mechanisms underlying SNAT2 induction were investigated in tissue culture cells. We show that the increase in system A transport activity and SNAT2 mRNA levels upon amino acid starvation were blunted in cells with a mutant eIF2alpha that cannot be phosphorylated. In contrast, the induction of system A activity and SNAT2 mRNA levels by hypertonic stress were independent of eIF2alpha phosphorylation. The translational control of the SNAT2 mRNA during amino acid starvation was also investigated. It is shown that the 5'-untranslated region contains an internal ribosome entry site that is constitutively active in amino acid-fed and -deficient cells and in a cell-free system. We also show that amino acid starvation caused a 2.5-fold increase in mRNA and protein expression from a reporter construct containing both the SNAT2 intronic amino acid response element and the SNAT2-untranslated region. We conclude that the adaptive response of system A activity to amino acid starvation requires eukaryotic initiation factor 2alpha phosphorylation, increased gene transcription, and internal ribosome entry site-mediated translation. In contrast, the response to hypertonic stress does not involve eukaryotic initiation factor 2alpha phosphorylation, suggesting that SNAT2 expression can be modulated by specific signaling pathways in response to different stresses.

Glutamine, the preferred precursor for neurotransmitter glutamate and GABA, is likely to be the principal substrate for the neuronal System A transporter SNAT1 in vivo. We explored the functional properties of SNAT1 (the product of the rat Slc38a1 gene) by measuring radiotracer uptake and currents associated with SNAT1 expression in Xenopus oocytes and determined the neuronal-phenotypic and cellular distribution of SNAT1 by confocal laser-scanning microscopy alongside other markers. We found that SNAT1 mediates transport of small, neutral, aliphatic amino acids including glutamine (K0.5 approximately 0.3 mm), alanine, and the System A-specific analogue 2-(methylamino)isobutyrate. Amino acid transport is driven by the Na+ electrochemical gradient. The voltage-dependent binding of Na+ precedes that of the amino acid in a simultaneous transport mechanism. Li+ (but not H+) can substitute for Na+ but results in reduced Vmax. In the absence of amino acid, SNAT1 mediates Na+-dependent presteady-state currents (Qmax approximately 9 nC) and a nonsaturable cation leak with selectivity Na+, Li+H+, K+. Simultaneous flux and current measurements indicate coupling stoichiometry of 1 Na+ per 1 amino acid. SNAT1 protein was detected in somata and proximal dendrites but not nerve terminals of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons throughout the adult CNS. We did not detect SNAT1 expression in astrocytes but detected its expression on the luminal membranes of the ependyma. The functional properties and cellular distribution of SNAT1 support a primary role for SNAT1 in glutamine transport serving the glutamate/GABA-glutamine cycle in central neurons. Localization of SNAT1 to certain dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra and cholinergic motoneurons suggests that SNAT1 may play additional specialized roles, providing metabolic fuel (via alpha-ketoglutarate) or precursors (cysteine, glycine) for glutathione synthesis.

SAT1-3 comprise members of the recently cloned family of System A transporters that mediate the sodium-coupled uptake of short chain neutral amino acids, and their activity is regulated extensively by stimuli such as insulin, growth factors, and amino acid availability. In skeletal muscle, insulin stimulates System A activity rapidly by a presently ill-defined mechanism. Here we demonstrate that insulin induces an increase in the plasma membrane abundance of SAT2 in a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent manner and that this increase is derived from an endosomal compartment that is required for the hormonal activation of System A. Chloroquine, an acidotropic weak base that impairs endosomal recycling of membrane proteins, induced a complete inhibition in the insulin-mediated stimulation of System A, which was associated with a loss in SAT2 recruitment to the plasma membrane. The failure to stimulate System A and recruit SAT2 to the cell surface could not be attributed to a block in insulin signaling, as chloroquine had no effect on the insulin-mediated phosphorylation of protein kinase B or glycogen synthase kinase 3 or upon insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation and glucose transport. Our data indicate strongly that insulin increases System A transport in L6 cells by stimulating the exocytosis of SAT2 carriers from a chloroquine-sensitive endosomal compartment.

We report here on the characterization of a mouse N-system amino acid transporter protein, which is involved in the transport of glutamine. This protein of 485 amino acids shares 52% sequence homology with an N-system amino acid transporter, mouse N-system amino acid transporter (mNAT) and its orthologs. Because this protein shares a high degree of sequence homology and functional similarity to mNAT, we named it mNAT2. mNAT2 is predominately expressed in the retina and to a slightly lesser extent in the brain. In the retina, it is located in the axons of ganglion cells in the nerve fiber layer and in the bundles of the optic nerve. Functional analysis of mNAT2 expressed in Xenopus oocytes revealed that the strongest transport activities were specific for l-glutamine. In addition, mNAT2 is a Na(+)- and pH-dependent, high affinity transporter and partially tolerates substitution of Na(+) by Li(+). Additionally, mNAT2 functions as a carrier-mediated transporter that facilitates efflux. The unique expression pattern and selective glutamine transport properties of mNAT2 suggest that it plays a specific role in the uptake of glutamine involved in the generation of the neurotransmitter glutamate in retina. ispartof: JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY vol:276 issue:26 pages:24137-24144 ispartof: location:United States status: published