Mammalian kidney is known to express a transport system specific for small peptides and pharmacologically active aminocephalosporins. This system is energized by a transmembrane electrochemical H+ gradient. Recently, a H(+)-coupled peptide transporter has been cloned from rabbit and human intestine (Fei et al. (1994) Nature 368, 563-566; Liang et al., J. Biol. Chem., in press). Functional studies have established that the renal peptide transport system is similar but not identical to its intestinal counterpart. Therefore, in an attempt to isolate the renal H+/peptide cotransporter cDNA, we screened a human kidney cDNA library with a probe derived from the rabbit intestinal H+/peptide cotransporter cDNA. This has resulted in the isolation of a positive clone with a 2190 bp long open reading frame. The predicted protein consists of 729 amino acids. Hydropathy analysis of the amino acid sequence indicates the presence of twelve putative transmembrane domains. The primary structure of this protein exhibits 50% identity and 70% similarity to the human intestinal H+/peptide cotransporter. Functional expression of the kidney cDNA in HeLa cells results in the induction of a H(+)-coupled transport system specific for small peptides and aminocephalosporins. Reverse transcription-coupled polymerase chain reaction demonstrates that the cloned transporter is expressed in human kidney but not in human intestine. This transporter, henceforth called PEPT 2, represents a new member in the growing family of H(+)-coupled transport systems in the mammalian plasma membrane.
In mammalian small intestine, a H(+)-coupled peptide transporter is responsible for the absorption of small peptides arising from digestion of dietary proteins. Recently a cDNA clone encoding a H+/peptide cotransporter has been isolated from a rabbit intestinal cDNA library (Fei, Y.J., Kanai, Y., Nussberger, S., Ganapathy, V., Leibach, F.H., Romero, M.F., Singh, S.K., Boron, W. F., and Hediger, M. A. (1994) Nature 368, 563-566). Screening of a human intestinal cDNA library with a probe derived from the rabbit H+/peptide cotransporter cDNA resulted in the identification of a cDNA which when expressed in HeLa cells or in Xenopus laevis oocytes induced H(+)-dependent peptide transport activity. The predicted protein consists of 708 amino acids with 12 membrane-spanning domains and two putative sites for protein kinase C-dependent phosphorylation. The cDNA-induced transport process accepts dipeptides, tripeptides, and amino beta-lactam antibiotics but not free amino acids as substrates. The human H+/peptide cotransporter exhibits a high degree of homology (81% identity and 92% similarity) to the rabbit H+/peptide cotransporter. But surprisingly these transporters show only a weak homology to the H(+)-coupled peptide transport proteins present in bacteria and yeast. Chromosomal assignment studies with somatic cell hybrid analysis and in situ hybridization have located the gene encoding the cloned human H+/peptide cotransporter to chromosome 13 q33-->q34.
Simultaneous neuron stimulation and biophysiological sensing in multi‐encephalic regions can lead to profound understanding of neural pathways, neurotransmitter transportation, and nutrient metabolism. Here, a flexible electronic device with tentacle‐like channels radiating from a central wireless circuit is presented. The device is constructed by different organic and inorganic materials that have been made into thin‐film or nanoparticle formats. All channels have been equipped with flexible components for distributed and synchronized opto‐electrical stimulation, biopotential sensing, and ion concentration monitoring. They can be implanted into different brain regions through adaptive bending and individually addressed to follow programmable working sequences. Experimental results conducted in vitro and in vivo have demonstrated the capability in generating optical or electrical stimulation, while sensing 16‐channels biopotential and concentration of Ca2+, Na+, and K+ ions in distributed regions. Behavior and immunohistochemistry studies suggest potential applications in regulating brain functions for freely moving animals. In combination with various functional materials, the device can serve as a comprehensive research platform that can be modularized to accommodate different needs for brain studies, offering numerous possibilities and combinations to yield sophisticated neuromodulation and behavior regulation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.