Urea transporter 2 is a
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''SLC14A2''
gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...
.
Function
In
mammal
Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...
ian cells,
urea
Urea, also known as carbamide, is an organic compound with chemical formula . This amide has two amino groups (–) joined by a carbonyl functional group (–C(=O)–). It is thus the simplest amide of carbamic acid.
Urea serves an important r ...
is the chief end-product of
nitrogen
Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...
catabolism
Catabolism () is the set of metabolic pathways that breaks down molecules into smaller units that are either oxidized to release energy or used in other anabolic reactions. Catabolism breaks down large molecules (such as polysaccharides, lipids, ...
and plays an important role in the
urinary concentration mechanism. Thus, the
plasma membrane
The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane (PM) or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of all cells from the outside environment (t ...
of
erythrocyte
Red blood cells (RBCs), also referred to as red cells, red blood corpuscles (in humans or other animals not having nucleus in red blood cells), haematids, erythroid cells or erythrocytes (from Greek ''erythros'' for "red" and ''kytos'' for "holl ...
s and some
renal
The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blood ...
epithelial
Epithelium or epithelial tissue is one of the four basic types of animal tissue, along with connective tissue, muscle tissue and nervous tissue. It is a thin, continuous, protective layer of compactly packed cells with a little intercellula ...
cells exhibit an elevated urea
permeability that is mediated by highly selective
urea transporter
A urea transporter is a membrane transport protein, transporting urea. Humans and other mammals have two types of urea transport proteins, UT-A and UT-B. The UT-A proteins are important for renal urea handling and are produced by alternative spl ...
s. In mammals, two urea transporters have been identified: the renal tubular urea transporter, UT2 (
UT-A), and the erythrocyte urea transporter, UT11 (also called
UT-B, coded for by the
SLC14A1
Urea transporter 1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SLC14A1'' gene.
Function
The SLC14A1 codes for a urea transporter (UTB) that is expressed in erythrocytes and kidney. SLC14A2 and SLC14A1 constitute solute carrier family 14. UTB ...
gene).
SLC14A2 and
SLC14A1
Urea transporter 1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SLC14A1'' gene.
Function
The SLC14A1 codes for a urea transporter (UTB) that is expressed in erythrocytes and kidney. SLC14A2 and SLC14A1 constitute solute carrier family 14. UTB ...
constitute
solute carrier family 14.
References
Further reading
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Solute carrier family
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