Extracellular lysine 38 plays a crucial role in pH-dependent transport via human monocarboxylate transporter 1.

Human monocarboxylate transporters (hMCTs) are expressed in many tissues and mediate the transport of various substrates across the plasma membrane. Among hMCTs, hMCT1-4 cotransport H with monocarboxylates such as pyruvate and l-lactate, implying that these proteins recognize both substrate and H. However, the mechanism of translocation, and particularly that of hMCT1 pH-dependent transport, remains largely unknown. This study aimed at identifying residues involved in the pH dependence of hMCT1 using a combination of amino acid-modifying reagents, site-directed mutagenesis in a Xenopus laevis oocyte expression system, and homology modeling. We showed that diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC), phenylglyoxal (PGO), and 4,4'-diisothiocyanato-2,2'-stilbenedisulfonic acid disodium salt (DIDS), which react with histidine, arginine, and lysine residues respectively, all inhibited hMCT1 activity. Since DEPC, PGO, and DIDS are membrane impermeable reagents, we mutated to other residues individual histidine, arginine, and lysine residues located within the extracellular regions of hMCT1. Analyses of these mutants demonstrated that except for K38, the extracellular basic residues of hMCT1 were not involved in its transport activity and pH dependence. Moreover, analyses of various mutants in which K38 was substituted for another residue and of an hMCT1 homology model focusing on the location of K38 in the three-dimensional structure delineated the mechanism of hMCT1 pH dependence. Collectively, our data indicate that K38 plays an essential role in hMCT1 transport activity. We would like to propose a mechanism whereby K38 is positioned within a hydrophobic and narrow cavity that is part of the transport pathway, and regulates pH-dependent gating of hMCT1.