Conserved glutamate residues Glu-343 and Glu-519 provide mechanistic insights into cation/nucleoside cotransport by human concentrative nucleoside transporter hCNT3

Abstract

Human concentrative nucleoside transporter 3 (hCNT3) utilizes electrochemical gradients of both Na+ and H+ to accumulate pyrimidine and purine nucleosides within cells. We have employed radioisotope flux and electrophysiological techniques in combination with site-directed mutagenesis and heterologous expression in Xenopus oocytes to identify two conserved pore-lining glutamate residues (Glu-343 and Glu-519) with essential roles in hCNT3 Na+/nucleoside and H+/nucleoside cotransport. Mutation of Glu-343 and Glu-519 to aspartate, glutamine, and cysteine severely compromised hCNT3 transport function, and changes included altered nucleoside and cation activation kinetics (all mutants), loss or impairment of H+ dependence (all mutants), shift in Na+:nucleoside stoichiometry from 2:1 to 1:1 (E519C), complete loss of catalytic activity (E519Q) and, similar to the corresponding mutant in Na+-specific hCNT1, uncoupled Na+ currents (E343Q). Consistent with close-proximity integration of cation/solute-binding sites within a common cation /permeant translocation pore, mutation of Glu-343 and Glu-519 also altered hCNT3 nucleoside transport selectivity. Both residues were accessible to the external medium and inhibited by p-chloromercuribenzene sulfonate when converted to cysteine. © 2009 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.