Understanding the role of solute carriers in health & disease

Transporters belonging to the Solute Carrier (SLC) family are integral membrane proteins that play essential roles in human physiology. They predominantly function to regulate the transport of small molecules into and out of cells and regulate the availability of amino acids, ions, sugars, lipids and vitamins within the body. SLC transporters also function within intracellular signalling networks, particularly with respect to amino acid and nutrient sensing. Recently, the role of solute carriers in protein trafficking has revealed the close link between transport, cellular homeostasis and signalling in the cell. My talk will focus on recent work from my group that reveals new insights into clinically important solute carrier systems: how they function as drug transporters, the mechanisms used to regulate their function, their role in organelle homeostasis and how their function in the cell is likely far more widespread than previously thought