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Title | Structural insights into the lysophospholipid brain uptake mechanism and its inhibition by syncytin-2. |
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Journal, issue, pages | Nat Struct Mol Biol, Vol. 29, Issue 6, Page 604-612, Year 2022 |
Publish date | Jun 16, 2022 |
Authors | Maria Martinez-Molledo / Emmanuel Nji / Nicolas Reyes / |
PubMed Abstract | Brain development and function require uptake of essential omega-3 fatty acids in the form of lysophosphatidylcholine via major-facilitator superfamily transporter MFSD2A, a potential pharmaceutical ...Brain development and function require uptake of essential omega-3 fatty acids in the form of lysophosphatidylcholine via major-facilitator superfamily transporter MFSD2A, a potential pharmaceutical target to modulate blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. MFSD2A is also the receptor of endogenous retroviral envelope syncytin-2 (SYNC2) in human placenta, where it mediates cell-cell fusion and formation of the maternal-fetal interface. Here, we report a cryo-electron microscopy structure of the human MFSD2A-SYNC2 complex that reveals a large hydrophobic cavity in the transporter C-terminal domain to occlude long aliphatic chains. The transporter architecture suggests an alternating-access transport mechanism for lipid substrates in mammalian MFS transporters. SYNC2 establishes an extensive binding interface with MFSD2A, and a SYNC2-soluble fragment acts as a long-sought-after inhibitor of MFSD2A transport. Our work uncovers molecular mechanisms important to brain and placenta development and function, and SYNC2-mediated inhibition of MFSD2A transport suggests strategies to aid delivery of therapeutic macromolecules across the BBB. |
External links | Nat Struct Mol Biol / PubMed:35710838 |
Methods | EM (single particle) |
Resolution | 3.6 Å |
Structure data | EMDB-12935, PDB-7oix: |
Chemicals | ChemComp-NAG: |
Source |
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Keywords | MEMBRANE PROTEIN / human membrane protein / MFS transporter / human endogenous retroviral protein / syncytin |