The monocarboxylate transporters ,[ 1] or MCTs , are a family of proton -linked
plasma membrane transporters that carry molecules having one carboxylate group (monocarboxylates ), such as lactate , pyruvate , and ketones across biological membranes .[ 2] Acetate is actively transported to intestinal enteroendocrine cells via MCT, termed Targ (short for Tarag in Mongolian ).[ 3] MCTs are expressed in nearly every kind of cell.[ 4]
There are 14 MCTs corresponding to 14 solute carrier 16A transporters, although the cardinal numbers do not match (for example MCT3 is SLC16A8).[ 2] MCTs 1-4 have been more carefully investigated than MCTs 5-14.[ 2]
MCTs can be upregulated by PPAR-α , HIF-1α , Nrf2 , and AMPK .[ 2]
^ Halestrap AP, Meredith D (2004). "The SLC16 gene family-from monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) to aromatic amino acid transporters and beyond". Pflügers Arch . 447 (5): 619–28. doi :10.1007/s00424-003-1067-2 . PMID 12739169 . S2CID 15498611 .
^ a b c d Felmlee MA, Jones RS, Morris ME (2020). "Monocarboxylate Transporters (SLC16): Function, Regulation, and Role in Health and Disease" . Pharmacological Reviews . 72 (2): 466–485. doi :10.1124/pr.119.018762 . PMC 7062045 . PMID 32144120 .
^ Jugder, Bat-Erdene; Kamareddine, Layla; Watnick, Paula I. (August 2021). "Microbiota-derived acetate activates intestinal innate immunity via the Tip60 histone acetyltransferase complex" . Immunity . doi :10.1016/j.immuni.2021.05.017 . PMC 8363570 .
^ Parks, Scott K.; Mueller-Klieser, Wolfgang; Pouysségur, Jacques (2020). "Lactate and Acidity in the Cancer Microenvironment" . Annual Review of Cancer Biology . 4 : 141–158. doi :10.1146/annurev-cancerbio-030419-033556 .