Sodium- and chloride-dependent betaine transporter, also known as Na(+)/Cl(-) betaine/GABA transporter (BGT-1), is a

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

that in humans is encoded by the ''SLC6A12''

gene In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...

. BGT-1 is predominantly expressed in the

liver The liver is a major metabolic organ (anatomy), organ exclusively found in vertebrates, which performs many essential biological Function (biology), functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of var ...

(hepatocytes). It is also expressed in the kidney where it is regulated by

NFAT5 Nuclear factor of activated T-cells 5, also known as NFAT5 and sometimes TonEBP, is a human gene that encodes a transcription factor that regulates the expression of genes involved in the osmotic stress. The product of this gene is a member of th ...

during a response to

osmotic Osmosis (, ) is the spontaneous net movement or diffusion of solvent molecules through a selectively-permeable membrane from a region of high water potential (region of lower solute concentration) to a region of low water potential (region o ...

stress. Further, BGT1 is also present in the

leptomeninges In anatomy, the meninges (; meninx ; ) are the three membranes that envelop the brain and spinal cord. In mammals, the meninges are the dura mater, the arachnoid mater, and the pia mater. Cerebrospinal fluid is located in the subarachnoid spa ...

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 GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid, γ-aminobutyric acid) is the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter in the developmentally mature mammalian central nervous system. Its principal role is reducing neuronal excitability throughout the nervous system. GA ...

. This implies that it is not likely to contribute significantly to the inactivation of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA.

References

Solute carrier family {{membrane-protein-stub

See also

References