Japan Science and Technology Corporation

Human Cell Systems, Inc.

Other

J-Pharma Co., Ltd.

Japan Science and Technology Agency

Fuji Bio Medix Co., Ltd.

Endo, Hitoshi

Yoshikatsu Kanai

Hitoshi Endou

Atsushi Enomoto

Takashi Sekine

Richard J Johnson

Makoto Hosoyamada

Karen L Price

Kenji Tsujihara

Kunio Saito

Hitoshi Endo

It is intended to clarify a transportation system participating in the uric acid uptake in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and provide a novel remedy, a preventive or a treating agent for vascular disorders, hypertension and renal disorders with the use of a drug participating in this transportation system. It is also intended to provide a novel screening system for a remedy, a preventive or a treating agent for vascular disorders, hypertension and renal disorders with the use of such a transportation system. Namely, a medicinal composition for healing, preventing or treating vascular disorders, hypertension and renal disorders which comprises a drug having an effect of inhibiting the uric acid uptake by a uric acid transporter URAT1 and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier; and a method of screening a substance efficacious for healing, preventing or treating vascular disorders, hypertension and renal disorders which comprises using a cell line expressing URAT1 in the presence or absence of a test compound and assaying the uric acid uptake level, cell proliferation ability or the amount of a monocyte chemotactic factor produced by the cells.

Method of screening for therapeutic compounds for vascular disorders and hypertension based on URAT1 activity modulation

A novel amino acid transporter molecule mediating transportation of amino acids, which are nutrients essentially required in the survival and proliferation of various normal cells constituting a living body and various pathology-associated abnormal cells such as tumor cells, into cells and being expressed specifically in tumor cells compared with normal cells; and drugs for treating various pathogenic conditions such as tumor (cancer) which are obtained by identifying and isolating the above amino acid transporter molecule and identifying a substance capable of inhibiting the biological activity and/or expression of this molecule. Intensive studies were made to identify a tumor cell membrane surface molecule associating or interacting with a cell membrane surface 4F2hc molecule seemingly playing an important role in the activation of an unknown amino acid transporter. As a result, a gene encoding the novel amino acid transporter molecule, which mediates the incorporation of various neutral amino acids, various drugs or physiological substances into cells, has been found out and a substance capable of inhibiting the incorporation of amino acids via this molecule and thus inhibiting the proliferation of tumor cells has been also found out.

Neutral amino acid transporter and gene thereof

It is intended to identify and provide a novel carnitine transporter gene participating in carnitine transport in the testis and epididymis and carnitine transporter which is a protein encoded by the gene. A protein comprising the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 2 or an amino acid sequence derived therefrom by deletion, substitution or addition of one to several amino acids and being capable of transporting carnitine or its analog; and a gene encoding this protein.

DNA encoding a testicular carnitine transporter

It is intended to provide amino acid transporters which act as a single molecule and transport neutral amino acids typified by branched amino acids, and genes thereof. A protein consisting of an amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 6 or 8 or an amino acid sequence derived from an amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 6 or 8 by deletion, substitution or addition of one to several amino acids, and being capable of sodium-independently transporting neutral amino acids typified by branched amino acids and analogs thereof as a single molecule. A gene which is a DNA consisting of a base sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 5 or 7 or a DNA hybridizable with it and encodes a protein capable of sodium-independently transporting branched amino acids as a single molecule.

Branched neutral amino acid transporters acting as single molecule

It is intended to identify and provide a novel urate transporter gene participating in the urate transport in the kidney and a urate transporter which is a polypeptide encoded by the above gene. Namely, a protein comprising the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:1 or an amino acid sequence derived therefrom by deletion, substitution or addition of one to several amino acids and being capable of transporting uric acid and its analogs; and a gene encoding this protein.

Kidney-specific urate transporter and gene thereof

It is intended to provide a sodium-independent transporter carrying an acidic amino acid and its gene. A protein having the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1 and being capable of sodium-independently transporting an acidic amino acid and its analogs; a gene encoding this protein; a fused protein of the above protein with an auxiliary factor enabling the expression of its function; a gene encoding the same; a method of analyzing the function of a transporter using the same: and utilization thereof.

Sodium-independent transporter carrying acidic amino acid and its gene

DNA encoding neutral amino acid transporter

1. An aromatic amino acid derivative represented by the formula (I) or its pharmacologically acceptable salt: wherein,

Aromatic amino acid derivatives and medicinal compositions

Method using neutral amino acid transporter expressing cell

Neutral amino acid transporter binding method

The invention provides a sodium independent transporter which transports a small-sized neutral amino acid and its analog; its gene; fused proteins; and a method of analyzing the function of the transporter. Further provided is a use for the transporters as described by the invention.

Sodium-independent transporter transporting small-sized neutral amino acid, gene thereof and method of analyzing transporter function by constructing fused proteins enabling the specification of the function

It is intended to identify and provide a novel carnitine transporter gene participating in carnitine transport in the testis and epididymis and carnitine transporter which is a protein encoded by the gene. A protein comprising the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:2 or an amino acid sequence derived therefrom by deletion, substitution or addition of one to several amino acids and being capable of transporting carnitine or its analog; and a gene encoding this protein.

Method of modulating a testicular carnitine transporter

Novel sodium-independent small neutral amino acid transporters which transport L- and D-amino acids. A protein comprising the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:1 or 4 or an amino acid derived therefrom by deletion, substitution or addition of one or more amino acids and being capable of sodium-independently transporting L- and D-small neutral amino acids and analogs thereof; a gene encoding the above protein; a method of screening substances inhibiting or promoting the function of the above protein; an antibody against the above protein; and a method of regulating cell function by using the above antibody, function inhibitors, function promoters, etc.

Sodium-independent small neutral amino acid transporter transporting L- and D-amino acids

A protein capable of transporting organic anions having amino acid sequences represented by SEQ ID NO: 1 or 2 or amino acid sequences derived therefrom by deletion, substitution or addition of one or more amino acid residues; and a gene coding for the protein. The protein and gene therefore are useful in vitro analysis of drug release and drug&#x2014;drug interactions and development of method for screening drugs useful for preventing nephrotoxicity.

Growing community of inventors

Hachioji, Japan

Yoshikatsu Kanai