Protein characterization of Na⁺-independent system L amino acid transporter 3 in mice: A potential role in supply of branched-chain amino acids under nutrient starvation

We recently cloned the human Na⁺-independent system L neutral amino acid transporter LAT3. The aim of the present study was to characterize the molecular nature of mouse LAT3 at the protein level. Isolated mouse LAT3 showed 83% identity to human LAT3. Xenopus oocytes injected with mouse LAT3 cRNA showed the same functional property as human LAT3. Reverse transcriptase- polymerase chain reaction revealed apparent transcripts of mouse LAT3 in the liver, skeletal muscle, and pancreas, an expression pattern identical to that found in humans. Antibody generated against mouse LAT3 detected both ∼58-kd and 48-kd bands in the sample from liver and only a 48-kd band in skeletal muscle and pancreas. Immunohistochemical study showed its clear localization in the plasma membrane of liver and skeletal muscle, whereas it was only detectable in the endoplasmic reticulum and in crystalline inclusions in pancreatic acinar cells. Starvation induced up-regulation of mouse LAT3 protein and mRNA in both liver and skeletal muscle but not in pancreas. These results suggest that LAT3 may indeed function as an amino acid transporter, transporting branched-chain amino acids from liver and skeletal muscle to the blood-stream and thereby participating in the regulatory system of interorgan amino acid nutrition.