Solute Carrier Organic Anion Transporter Family, Member 1A2 (SLCO1A2)

SLCO1A2 encodes a sodium-independent transporter which mediates cellular uptake of organic ions in the liver. Its substrates include bile acids, bromosulphophthalein, and some steroidal compounds. The protein is a member of the SLC21A family of solute carriers. Alternate splicing of this gene results in three transcript variants encoding two different isoforms. The deduced 670-amino acid OATP protein has 12 putative transmembrane domains and 8 potential N-linked glycosylation sites. The human and rat OATP proteins are 67% identical. In vitro translation produced unglycosylated and glycosylated human OATP proteins that migrated as 59-kD and 71-kD polypeptides, respectively, in SDS-polyacrylamide gels.