LAT1 Background Information L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) is a multipass-membrane protein responsible for sodium-independent, high-affinity transport of large neutral amino acids. LAT1 functions as a disulfide-linked heterodimer with the amino acid transport protein CD98. LAT1 is expressed predominantly in adult lung and liver but is also expressed in brain, thymus, retina, testis, placenta, bone marrow and fetal liver. In the retina, LAT1 localizes to the blood-retinal-barrier (BRB) and mediates L-leucine transport from the blood to the retina. The devastating effects on the brain caused by phenylketonuria are due to the increased levels of LAT1 on the blood-brain-barrier in response to high concentrations of phenylalanine in the blood. LAT1 accepts the amino-acid related anticancer agent melphalan and plays a significant role in cell proliferation, differentiation, and invasion in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
