Structure of a Citrate Transporter Solved

Brian Kloss and Renato Bruni from NYCOMPS worked with Columbia University’s Ming Zhou, Matthias Quick and colleagues to elucidate the mechanism of Scientists at NYSBC collaborated with the laboratory of Da-Neng Wang, NYU School of Medicine, to understand the function of the sodium-dependent citrate transporter (NaCT), a protein implicated in the development of obesity and type II diabetes.

The crystal structure of a bacterial relative of the human NaCT reveals how the protein binds its substrates, citrate and sodium, and transports them across the cell membrane. This transport regulates the levels of citrate in the cell and controls the storage of fats. Mice with mutant versions of this protein are less obese and less likely to develop type II diabetes.

Citrate transport is critical to understanding obesity and diabetes