Demura Satoru, Hinoi Eiichi, Kawakami Noriaki, Handa Makoto, Yokogawa Noriaki, Hiraiwa Manami, Kato Satoshi, Shinmura Kazuya, Shimizu Takaki, Oku Norihiro, Annen Ryohei, Kobayashi Motoya, Yamada Yohei, Nagatani Satoshi, Iezaki Takashi, Taniguchi Yuki, Tsuchiya Hiroyuki
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Graduate School of Medical Sciences Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
Department of Bioactive Molecules, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu, Japan.
Spine Surg Relat Res. 2021 Dec 27;6(4):402-407. doi: 10.22603/ssrr.2021-0189. eCollection 2022.
Amino acid transporters are transmembrane proteins that are known to mediate the transfer of amino acids. As one of the amino acid transporters, LAT1, which is encoded by Slc7a5, mediates the cellular uptake of the essential amino acids. Recently, most studies have focused on examining the relationship between LAT1 and skeletal formation in terms of development. However, little is known regarding the clinical features of LAT1 in the cartilage, which might result in the development of skeletal deformities such as scoliosis. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the expression of L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) and its solute carrier transporter 7a5 (Slc7a5) in patients with pediatric scoliosis and to compare with the relationship between LAT1 and Slc7a5 expression and their clinical features.
We have prospectively recruited 56 patients who underwent corrective spinal fusion for scoliosis. The patients comprised 40 girls and 16 boys, with a mean age of 13.1 years at the time of surgery. There were 34 idiopathic scoliosis (IS) patients, whereas 22 were congenital scoliosis (CS) patients. During the surgery, an epiphyseal part of the spinous process at apical vertebra was harvested; then, LAT1 and Slc7a5 expressions in the cartilage were evaluated.
As per our findings, LAT1 expression was observed in the cartilage in 60.7% (34 out of 56) of the patients. LAT1 expression in IS patients was 76%, which were statistically higher compared to 36% in CS patients. When compared with LAT1 expression, no statistical difference was noted in terms of age, gender, body mass index (BMI), Cobb angle, and Risser grade. Meanwhile, the mean Slc7a5 expression in IS patients was determined to be significantly higher than that in CS patients. No significant correlation was observed between Slc7a5 expression and age, BMI, and Cobb angle.
LAT1 and Slc7a5 expression in IS and CS patients showed significant differences. These expressions were found to be not correlated with age, stature, and severity of the deformity.
氨基酸转运体是已知介导氨基酸转运的跨膜蛋白。作为氨基酸转运体之一，由Slc7a5编码的LAT1介导必需氨基酸的细胞摄取。最近，大多数研究集中在从发育角度研究LAT1与骨骼形成之间的关系。然而，关于LAT1在软骨中的临床特征知之甚少，这可能导致脊柱侧凸等骨骼畸形的发展。因此，本研究的目的是调查小儿脊柱侧凸患者中L型氨基酸转运体1（LAT1）及其溶质载体转运体7a5（Slc7a5）的表达情况，并比较LAT1与Slc7a5表达之间的关系及其临床特征。
我们前瞻性招募了56例接受脊柱侧弯矫正融合手术的患者。患者包括40名女孩和16名男孩，手术时平均年龄为13.1岁。其中特发性脊柱侧凸（IS）患者34例，先天性脊柱侧凸（CS）患者22例。手术过程中，采集顶椎棘突的骨骺部分；然后，评估软骨中LAT1和Slc7a5的表达。
根据我们的研究结果，56例患者中有60.7%（34例）的软骨中观察到LAT1表达。IS患者中LAT1表达为76%，与CS患者中的36%相比，具有统计学意义上的更高。与LAT1表达相比，在年龄、性别、体重指数（BMI）、Cobb角和Risser分级方面未观察到统计学差异。同时，确定IS患者中Slc7a5的平均表达明显高于CS患者。未观察到Slc7a5表达与年龄、BMI和Cobb角之间存在显著相关性。
IS和CS患者中LAT1和Slc7a5的表达存在显著差异。发现这些表达与年龄、身高和畸形严重程度无关。
