BACKGROUND AND PURPOSEThe neutral amino acid transporter B 0 AT1 (SLC6A19) has recently been identified as a possible target to treat type 2 diabetes and related disorders. B 0 AT1 mediates the Na + -dependent uptake of all neutral amino acids. For surface expression and catalytic activity, B 0 AT1 requires coexpression of collectrin (TMEM27). In this study, we established tools to identify and evaluate novel inhibitors of B 0 AT1. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHA CHO-based cell line was generated, stably expressing collectrin and B 0 AT1. Using this cell line, a high-throughput screening assay was developed, which uses a fluorescent dye to detect depolarisation of the cell membrane during amino acid uptake via B 0 AT1. In parallel to these functional assays, we ran a computational compound screen using AutoDock4 and a homology model of B 0 AT1 based on the high-resolution structure of the highly homologous Drosophila dopamine transporter. KEY RESULTSWe characterized a series of novel inhibitors of the B 0 AT1 transporter. Benztropine was identified as a competitive inhibitor of the transporter showing an IC 50 of 44 ± 9 μM. The compound was selective with regard to related transporters and blocked neutral amino acid uptake in inverted sections of mouse intestine. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONSThe tools established in this study can be widely used to identify new transport inhibitors. Using these tools, we were able to identify compounds that can be used to study epithelial transport, to induce protein restriction, or be developed further through medicinal chemistry. AbbreviationsCHO-BC, CHO cells stably transfected with B 0 AT1 and collectrin; FGF21, fibroblast growth factor 21; GIP, gastric inhibitory peptide; GLP-1, glucagon-like peptide 1; MW, molecular weight; NMDG, N-methyl-D-glucamine

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Lack of B 0 AT1 (SLC6A19) partially protects mice against the onset of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). To achieve a similar outcome through pharmacological treatment, we improved previously identified inhibitors of B 0 AT1 by medicinal chemistry and identified second generation inhibitors by high through-put screening. Modified diarylmethine compounds inhibited B 0 AT1 with IC 50 values ranging from 8-90 mM. A second generation of inhibitors was derived from high-throughput screening and showed higher affinity (IC 50 of 1-15 mM) and strong selectivity against amino acid transporters with similar substrate specificity, such as ASCT2 (SLC1A5) and LAT1 (SLC7A5). All compounds were unrelated to B 0 AT1 substrates, but were likely to bind in the vicinity of the substrate binding site.

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