Translocation of monocarboxylate transporters MCT1 and MCT4 to the plasma membrane requires CD147 (basigin) with which they remain tightly associated. However, the importance of CD147 for MCT activity is unclear. MCT1 and MCT4 are both inhibited by the cellimpermeant organomercurial reagent p-chloromercuribenzene sulfonate (pCMBS). Here we demonstrate by site-directed mutagenesis that removal of all accessible cysteine residues on MCT4 does not prevent this inhibition. pCMBS treatment of cells abolished co-immunoprecipitation of MCT1 and MCT4 with CD147 and enhanced labeling of CD147 with a biotinylated-thiol reagent. This suggested that CD147 might be the target of pCMBS, and further evidence for this was obtained by treatment of cells with the bifunctional organomercurial reagent fluorescein dimercury acetate that caused oligomerization of CD147. Site-directed mutagenesis of CD147 implicated the disulfide bridge in the Ig-like C2 domain of CD147 as the target of pCMBS attack. MCT2, which is pCMBS-insensitive, was found to co-immunoprecipitate with gp70 rather than CD147. The interaction between gp70 and MCT2 was confirmed using fluorescence resonance energy transfer between the cyan fluorescent protein-and yellow fluorescent proteintagged MCT2 and gp70. pCMBS strongly inhibited lactate transport into rabbit erythrocytes, where MCT1 interacts with CD147, but not into rat erythrocytes where it interacts with gp70. These data imply that inhibition of MCT1 and MCT4 activity by pCMBS is mediated through its binding to CD147, whereas MCT2, which associates with gp70, is insensitive to pCMBS. We conclude that ancillary proteins are required to maintain the catalytic activity of MCTs as well as for their translocation to the plasma membrane.

Monocarboxylate transporters MCT1-MCT4 require basigin (CD147) or embigin (gp70), ancillary proteins with a glutamate residue in their single transmembrane (TM) domain, for plasma membrane (PM) expression and activity. Here we use site-directed mutagenesis and expression in COS cells or Xenopus oocytes to investigate whether this glutamate (Glu 218 in basigin) may charge-pair with a positively charged TM-residue of MCT1. Such residues were predicted using a new molecular model of MCT1 based upon the published structure of the E. coli glycerol-3-phosphate transporter. No evidence was obtained for Arg 306 (TM 8) of MCT1 and Glu 218 of basigin forming a charge-pair; indeed E218Q-basigin could replace WT-basigin, although E218R-basigin was inactive. No PM expression of R306E-MCT1 or D302R-MCT1 was observed but D302R/R306D-MCT1 reached the PM, as did R306K-MCT1. However, both were catalytically inactive suggesting that Arg 306 and Asp 302 form a charge-pair in either orientation, but their precise geometry is essential for catalytic activity. Mutation of Arg 86 to Glu or Gln within TM3 of MCT1 had no effect on plasma membrane expression or activity of MCT1. However, unlike WT-MCT1, these mutants enabled expression of E218R-basigin at the plasma membrane of COS cells. We propose that TM3 of MCT1 lies alongside the TM of basigin with Arg 86 adjacent to Glu 218 of basigin. Only when both these residues are positively charged (E218R-basigin with WT-MCT1) is this interaction prevented; all other residue pairings at these positions may be accommodated by charge-pairing or stabilization of unionized residues through hydrogen bonding or local distortion of the helical structure.

In mammalian cells, MCTs (monocarboxylate transporters) require association with an ancillary protein to enable plasma membrane expression of the active transporter. Basigin is the preferred binding partner for MCT1, MCT3 and MCT4, and embigin for MCT2. In rat and rabbit erythrocytes, MCT1 is associated with embigin and basigin respectively, but its sensitivity to inhibition by AR-C155858 was found to be identical. Using RT (reverse transcription)–PCR, we have shown that Xenopus laevis oocytes contain endogenous basigin, but not embigin. Co-expression of exogenous embigin was without effect on either the expression of MCT1 or its inhibition by AR-C155858. In contrast, expression of active MCT2 at the plasma membrane of oocytes was significantly enhanced by co-expression of exogenous embigin. This additional transport activity was insensitive to inhibition by AR-C155858 unlike that by MCT2 expressed with endogenous basigin that was potently inhibited by AR-C155858. Chimaeras and C-terminal truncations of MCT1 and MCT2 were also expressed in oocytes in the presence and absence of exogenous embigin. L-Lactate Km values for these constructs were determined and revealed that the TM (transmembrane) domains of an MCT, most probably TM7–TM12, but not the C-terminus, are the major determinants of L-lactate affinity, whereas the associated ancillary protein has little or no effect. Inhibitor titrations of lactate transport by these constructs indicated that embigin modulates MCT2 sensitivity to AR-C155858 through interactions with both the intracellular C-terminus and TMs 3 and 6 of MCT2. The C-terminus of MCT2 was found to be essential for its expression with endogenous basigin.