Organic anion transporting polypeptides (humans OATPs, rodents Oatps) are expressed in most mammalian tissues and mediate cellular uptake of a wide variety of amphipathic organic compounds such as bile salts, steroid conjugates, oligopeptides, and a large list of drugs, probably by acting as anion exchangers. In the present study we aimed to investigate the role of the extracellular pH on the transport activity of nine human and four rat OATPs/Oatps. Furthermore, we aimed to test the concept that OATP/Oatp transport activity is accompanied by extrusion of bicarbonate. By using amphibian Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing OATPs/Oatps and mammalian cell lines stably transfected with OATPs/Oatps, we could demonstrate that in all OATPs/Oatps investigated, with the exception of OATP1C1, a low extracellular pH stimulated transport activity. This stimulation was accompanied by an increased substrate affinity as evidenced by lower apparent Michaelis-Menten constant values. OATP1C1 is lacking a highly conserved histidine in the third transmembrane domain, which was shown by site-directed mutagenesis to be critically involved in the pH dependency of OATPs/Oatps. Using online intracellular pH measurements in OATP/Oatp-transfected Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO)-K1 cells, we could demonstrate the presence of a 4,4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid-sensitive chloride/bicarbonate exchanger in CHO-K1 cells and that OATP/Oatp-mediated substrate transport is paralleled by bicarbonate efflux. We conclude that the pH dependency of OATPs/Oatps may lead to a stimulation of substrate transport in an acidic microenvironment and that the OATP/Oatp-mediated substrate transport into cells is generally compensated or accompanied by bicarbonate efflux.

In the present study we isolated two splice variants of organic anion transporting polypeptide 3A1 (OATP3A1_v1 and OATP3A1_v2) from human brain. OATP3A1_v2 lacks 18 amino acids (aa) at the COOH-terminal end (692 aa) but is otherwise similar in sequence to OATP3A1_v1 (710 aa). OATP3A1_v1 exhibits a wide tissue distribution, with expression in testis, various brain regions, heart, lung, spleen, peripheral blood leukocytes, and thyroid gland, whereas OATP3A1_v2 is predominantly expressed in testis and brain. On the cellular and subcellular levels OATP3A1_v1 could be immunolocalized in testicular germ cells, the basolateral plasma membrane of choroid plexus epithelial cells, and neuroglial cells of the gray matter of human frontal cortex. Immunolocalization of OATP3A1_v2 included Sertoli cells in testis, apical and/or subapical membranes in choroid plexus epithelial cells, and neurons (cell bodies and axons) of the gray and white matter of human frontal cortex. The rodent ortholog Oatp3a1 was also widely distributed in rat brain, and its localization included somatoneurons as well as astroglial cells. Transport studies in cRNA-injected Xenopus laevis oocytes and in stably transfected Chinese hamster ovary FlpIn cells revealed a similar broad substrate specificity for both splice variants. Transported substrates include prostaglandin (PG)E(1) and PGE(2), thyroxine, and the cyclic oligopeptides BQ-123 (endothelin receptor antagonist) and vasopressin. These studies provide further evidence for the involvement of OATPs in oligopeptide transport. They specifically suggest that OATP3A1 variants might be involved in the regulation of extracellular vasopressin concentration in human brain and thus might influence the neuromodulation of neurotransmission by cerebral neuropeptides such as vasopressin.

Organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) superfamily member 2B1 (OATP2B1) mediates the uptake of steroid hormone precursors and selected drugs in the placenta, liver, mammary gland, brain, and intestine. This action is modulated by sulfhydryl reagents. Common to all OATPs is a large extracellular loop between transmembrane domains IX and X with 10 conserved cysteines. To elucidate the structure-function relationship of this cysteine rich ectodomain, a truncated OATP2B1 lacking 10 extracellular cysteines (OATP2B1 ⌬489 -557 ) and 10 OATP2B1 mutants containing individual Cys-to-Ala substitutions were generated and expressed in CHO-K1 cells. The immunolocalization, cell-surface expression, transport activity, and free cysteine labeling with N-biotinoylaminoethylmethanethiosulfonate of mutant proteins and wild-type OATP2B1 were compared. OATP2B1 ⌬489 -557 accumulated intracellularly. Nine Cys-to-Ala substitutions, C489A, C495A, C504A, C516A, C520A, C539A, C541A, C553A, and C557A, were misprocessed, appearing predominantly as core-glycosylated, 60-kDa proteins and as 180-kDa complexes. Only C493A was a fully glycosylated 75-kDa protein expressed at the cell surface. Thapsigargin partially corrected the misprocessing of mutants. Compared with OATP2B1, C493A and C557A transported estrone-3-sulfate and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate less efficiently, whereas all other mutants were functionally impaired. MTSEA labeled free cysteines in all Cys-to-Ala mutants but not in OATP2B1, suggesting that all 10 extracellular cysteines are normally disulfide-bonded. Our findings show that the trafficking and function of OATP2B1 is vulnerable to changes in the cysteine residues of extracellular loop IX-X.

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