Nucleoside Transporter Antibody Explorer Kit

Nucleosides play other important roles beyond their nucleic acid synthesis building block role. For example, they are involved in energy metabolism; they serve as ligands of purinergic receptors and act as influential signaling molecules¹. Being hydrophilic, nucleosides cannot simply diffuse across the plasma membrane in order to exert their various functions, but rather need to be physically transported via nucleoside transporters^1,2.

Two different transporter families are responsible for transporting nucleosides across the plasma membrane: 1. The Concentrative Nucleoside Transporter proteins (CNT, SLC28 family), which consist of three members, CNT1-3, and act as Na⁺-dependent symporters^1,3.  2. The Equilibrative Nucleoside Transporter proteins ENT1-4 (ENT, SLC29 family), which mediate a Na⁺-independent facilitated diffusion. Therefore, ENTs act as bidirectional carriers, responsible for the influx and efflux of substrates¹.

There is no evidence that nucleoside transporters are directly involved in pathophysiologies, but they are clinically significant. For example, nucleoside transporters are responsible for the cellular uptake of a number of nucleoside-derived anticancer drugs¹.