Organic Cation Transporters (OCTs)

Dear Colleague,

OCTs are solute link-carriers, belonging to the SLC22A family of transporters; they are often found in epithelial membranes and they mediate the uptake and secretion of organic cations. Based on the driving force for substrate transport, they can be classified into the electrogenic transporters OCT1 (SLC22A1), OCT2 (SLC22A2), OCT3 (SLC22A3), and the pH-dependent novel transporters OCTN1 (SLC22A4) and OCTN2 (SLC22A5). While OCTNs are mainly known for their ability to mediate carnitine influx, OCTs can translocate small (<500 Da) organic cations with broad, overlapping affinities for a wide range of substrates. The presence of these transporters is widely documented in the liver, kidneys, intestine, lung, and blood–brain barrier.

This Special Issue will create a comprehensive collection of the most recent advances concerning the expression and function of OCTs under physiological and pathological conditions. Topics of the Issue may include, but are not limited to the following:

• The role of OCTs in the maintenance of cell/tissue homeostasis and function
• The modulation of OCTs expression and function
• Defects in OCTs and human diseases
• Pharmacological relevance of OCTs and their interaction with known and candidate drugs.

Dr. Bianca Maria Rotoli
Guest Editor

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