Uppsala Center for Computational Chemistry, Science for Life Laboratory, Department for Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Uppsala , Box 596, 751 24 Uppsala, Sweden.
Biochemistry. 2014 Feb 11;53(5):821-35. doi: 10.1021/bi401618y. Epub 2014 Jan 31.
Vitamins are crucial components in the diet of animals and many other living organisms. One of these essential nutrients, thiamin, is known to be involved in several cell functions, including energy metabolism and the degradation of sugars and carbon skeletons. Other roles that are connected to this vitamin are neuronal communication, immune system activation, signaling and maintenance processes in cells and tissues, and cell-membrane dynamics. Because of the key functions of thiamin, uptake and transport through the body are crucial. Its uptake route is relatively complex, encompassing a variety of protein families, including the solute carrier anion transporters, the alkaline phosphatase transport system, and the human extraneuronal monoamine transporter family, some of which are multispecific proteins. There are two known structures of protein (subunits) involved in thiamin uptake in prokaryotes. Binding of thiamin to these proteins is strongly guided by electrostatic interactions. The lack of structural information about thiamin binding proteins for higher organisms remains a bottleneck for understanding the uptake process of thiamin in atomic detail. This review includes recent data on thiamin metabolism, related deficiencies and pathologies, and the latest findings on thiamin binding transporters.
维生素是动物和许多其他生物饮食中不可或缺的组成部分。这些必需营养素之一的硫胺素，已知参与了几种细胞功能，包括能量代谢以及糖和碳骨架的降解。与这种维生素相关的其他作用还包括神经元通讯、免疫系统激活、细胞和组织中的信号转导和维持过程以及细胞膜动力学。由于硫胺素的关键作用，其在体内的摄取和运输至关重要。它的摄取途径相对复杂，包含多种蛋白家族，包括溶质载体阴离子转运体、碱性磷酸酶转运系统和人外神经元单胺转运体家族，其中一些是多特异性蛋白。在原核生物中有两种已知的与硫胺素摄取有关的蛋白（亚基）结构。硫胺素与这些蛋白的结合受到静电相互作用的强烈引导。对于高等生物来说，缺乏关于硫胺素结合蛋白的结构信息仍然是理解硫胺素摄取过程的原子细节的一个瓶颈。这篇综述包括了关于硫胺素代谢、相关缺乏症和病理学以及最新的硫胺素结合转运蛋白发现的最新数据。
