Sitte Harald H, Farhan Hesso, Javitch Jonathan A
Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
Mol Interv. 2004 Feb;4(1):38-47. doi: 10.1124/mi.4.1.38.
Constitutive oligomer formation appears to be the rule for the neurotransmitter:sodium symporter (NSS) family of proteins. The propensity to form oligomers is a prerequisite for NSS proteins to pass the rigid mechanisms of quality control in the endoplasmic reticulum. Moreover, recent findings suggest that correct trafficking to the plasma membrane appears to rely on the interaction of NSS homo-oligomers with components of the COPII-vesicle machinery. The transporters present at the plasma membrane are most likely organized in a tetrameric arrangement, as a dimer of dimers. In this review, we will address ongoing efforts to unravel the underlying mechanisms of oligomer formation at the molecular and cellular levels, and we will discuss oligomerization in terms of transporter function.
钠同向转运体（NSS）蛋白家族的规律。形成寡聚体的倾向是NSS蛋白通过内质网严格质量控制机制的先决条件。此外，最近的研究结果表明，正确转运到质膜似乎依赖于NSS同型寡聚体与COPII囊泡机制成分的相互作用。存在于质膜上的转运体很可能以四聚体形式排列，即二聚体的二聚体。在这篇综述中，我们将阐述在分子和细胞水平上揭示寡聚体形成潜在机制的持续努力，并从转运体功能的角度讨论寡聚化。
