The role of L-type amino acid transporter 1 in human tumors

Abstract

L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) is an L-type amino acid transporter and transports large neutral amino acids such as leucine, isoleucine, valine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan, methionine, and histidine. LAT1 was found to be highly expressed especially in human cancer tissues, and up-regulated LAT1 can lead to dysfunction in human tumor cells. These findings suggest that LAT1 plays an important role in human tumors. This review provides an overview of the current understanding of LAT1 expression and its clinical significance and function in tumors.