Equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (ENT1) is a

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respon ...

that in humans is encoded by the ''SLC29A1''

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "... Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...

. Multiple alternatively spliced variants, encoding the same protein, have been found for this gene. Expressed on red blood cell surfaces, these variants make up the

Augustine blood group system The Augustine blood group system is a human blood group system. It includes four red blood cell surface glycoprotein antigens which are encoded by alleles of the gene SLC29A1. Antigens The protein which acts as the Augustine antigens is equilibr ...

Function

This gene is a member of the equilibrative nucleoside transporter family. The gene encodes a transmembrane

glycoprotein Glycoproteins are proteins which contain oligosaccharide chains covalently attached to amino acid side-chains. The carbohydrate is attached to the protein in a cotranslational or posttranslational modification. This process is known as g ...

that localizes to the plasma and mitochondrial membranes and mediates the cellular uptake of

nucleoside Nucleosides are glycosylamines that can be thought of as nucleotides without a phosphate group. A nucleoside consists simply of a nucleobase (also termed a nitrogenous base) and a five-carbon sugar ( ribose or 2'-deoxyribose) whereas a nucleoti ...

s from the surrounding medium. The protein is categorized as an equilibrative (as opposed to concentrative) transporter that is sensitive to inhibition by nitrobenzylmercaptopurine ribonucleoside (NBMPR). Nucleoside transporters are required for nucleotide synthesis in cells that lack ''de novo'' nucleoside synthesis pathways, and are also necessary for the uptake of cytotoxic nucleosides used for cancer and viral chemotherapies.

Genomics

The gene encoding this protein is located on the short arm of

chromosome 6 Chromosome 6 is one of the 23 pairs of chromosomes in humans. People normally have two copies of this chromosome. Chromosome 6 spans more than 170 million base pairs (the building material of DNA) and represents between 5.5 and 6% of the total ...

at 6p21.2-p21.1 on the Watson (plus) strand. It is 14,647 bases in length. The encoded protein has 456 amino acid residues with 11 predicted transmembrane domains. The predicted molecular weight is 50.219 kiloDaltons. The protein is post translationally glycosylated and expressed in all tissue with the apparent exception of

skeletal muscle Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as muscles) are organs of the vertebrate muscular system and typically are attached by tendons to bones of a skeleton. The muscle cells of skeletal muscles are much longer than in the other types of m ...

. The highest levels are found in the

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...

heart The heart is a muscular organ found in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon diox ...

testis A testicle or testis (plural testes) is the male reproductive gland or gonad in all bilaterians, including humans. It is homologous to the female ovary. The functions of the testes are to produce both sperm and androgens, primarily testoster ...

spleen The spleen is an organ found in almost all vertebrates. Similar in structure to a large lymph node, it acts primarily as a blood filter. The word spleen comes .

, lung,

kidney The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; bloo ...

and

brain The brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head ( cephalization), usually near organs for special ...

Interactive pathway map

Clinical significance

Mutations in this gene have been associated with

H syndrome H syndrome, also known as Histiocytosis-lymphadenopathy plus syndrome or PHID, is a rare genetic condition caused by mutations in the SLC29A3 gene which encode the human equilibrative nucleoside transporter (hENT3) protein.Moynihan L M, Bundey ...

, pigmented

hypertrichosis Hypertrichosis is an abnormal amount of hair growth over the body. The two distinct types of hypertrichosis are generalized hypertrichosis, which occurs over the entire body, and localized hypertrichosis, which is restricted to a certain area. ...

with insulin dependent diabetes and

Faisalabad histiocytosis Faisalabad (; Punjabi/ ur, , ; ), formerly known as Lyallpur ( Punjabi, Urdu: لائل پور), named after the founder of the city, but was renamed in 1977 in honour of late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It is the 3rd largest city of Pak ...

. Alleles of this gene make up the Augustine blood group system. Some of the four known variants are highly

immunogenic Immunogenicity is the ability of a foreign substance, such as an antigen, to provoke an immune response in the body of a human or other animal. It may be wanted or unwanted: * Wanted immunogenicity typically relates to vaccines, where the inject ...

and antibodies against them can cause

acute hemolytic transfusion reaction An acute hemolytic transfusion reaction (AHTR), also called immediate hemolytic transfusion reaction, is a life-threatening reaction to receiving a blood transfusion. AHTRs occur within 24 hours of the transfusion and can be triggered by a few milli ...

and

hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn Hemolytic disease of the newborn, also known as hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn, HDN, HDFN, or erythroblastosis foetalis, is an alloimmune condition that develops in a fetus at or around birth, when the IgG molecules (one of the five ...

Function

Genomics

Interactive pathway map

Clinical significance

See also

References

Further reading