Sodium- and chloride-dependent betaine transporter, also known as Na(+)/Cl(-) betaine/GABA transporter (BGT-1), is a
protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SLC6A12''
gene. BGT-1 is predominantly expressed in the
liver (hepatocytes).
It is also expressed in the kidney
where it is regulated by
NFAT5 during a response to
osmotic stress.
Further, BGT1 is also present in the
leptomeninges surrounding the brain.
Deletion of the BGT1 gene in mice did not appear to have any impact on the tendency to develop epilepsy.
This is to be expected considering that BGT1 is expressed at far lower levels than
GAT1 and also has lower affinity for
GABA. This implies that it is not likely to contribute significantly to the inactivation of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA.
See also
*
Solute carrier family
References
Solute carrier family
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