Osmoregulation of Neutral Amino Acid Transport

Abstract Neutral amino acids are important organic osmolytes found in most osmotically stressed cells. During prolonged hypertonic stress, accumulation of neutral amino acids contributes to the cell volume recovery and may protect cellular proteins against salt denaturation. Hypertonicity activates system A transport, a major neutral amino acid transporter in mammalian cells, by a microtubule-dependent mechanism. Similar to the regulation of amino acid efflux induced by hypotonic-swelling, influx via system A may be under the control of intracellular ionic strength. An osmotically sensitive repressor may negatively regulate the gene expression of a regulatory protein which activates the preexisting system A transporter protein. Hypertonically activated protein kinases may be involved in this osmoregulation of amino acid transport.