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2.A.3.8.18
Cystine/glutamate antiporter (Amino acid transport system xCT; Asc1; CD98hc) (Calcium channel blocker resistance protein CCBR1) (Solute carrier family 7 member 11; SLC7A11).  The pathology and development of non-competive diaryl-isoxazole inhibitors have been presented (Newell et al. 2013).  In Lama paco (alpaca), the Slc7a11 porter of 503 aas and 12 TMSs probably functions in melanogenesis and coat color regulation (Tian et al. 2015).  It interacts with mucin-1 (MUC1-C; P15941) which forms a complex with xCT. It also forms a complex with SLC3A2 heavy chain (CD98hc, 4F2hc or MDU1 (TC# 8.A.9.2.2). Together they maintain glutathione levels and redox balance and influence cancer development (Hasegawa et al. 2016). xCT is the receptor for Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV, human herpesvirus 8), the causative agent of Kaposi's sarcoma and other lymphoproliferative syndromes often associated with HIV/AIDS (Kaleeba and Berger 2006). Sulfasalazine is an inhibitor of xCT that is known to increase cellular oxidative stress, giving it anti-tumor potential, but it seems to have many side effects (Nagane et al. 2018). xCT is a cancer stem cell-related target and can be used to develop preclinical therapeutic approaches, able to hamper tumor growth and dissemination (Ruiu et al. 2019). Residues involved in substrate binding have been proposed based on in silico approaches (Sharma and Anirudh 2019). The tissue distribution of xCT in chickens has been determined (Choi et al. 2020). xCT supports tumor cell growth through glutathione-based oxidative stress resistance, and mutations can enhance its stability (Oda et al. 2020). Signals of pseudo-starvation unveiled that SLC7A11 is key determinant in the control of Treg (T) cell proliferative potential (Procaccini et al. 2021). xCT antiporter function inhibits HIV-1 infection (Rabinowitz et al. 2021). SLC7A11 providess a gateway of metabolic perturbation and ferroptosis vulnerability in cancer (Lee and Roh 2022). CEBPG (CCAAT Enhancer Binding Protein Gamma) suppresses ferroptosis through transcriptional control of SLC7A11 in ovarian cancer (Zhang et al. 2023). xCT protects cancer cells from oxidative stress and is overexpressed in many cancers. Yan et al. 2023 reported that, whereas moderate overexpression of SLC7A11 is beneficial for cancer cells treated with H2O2, a common oxidative stress inducer, its high overexpression dramatically increases H2O2-induced cell death. Mechanistically, high cystine uptake in cancer cells with high overexpression of SLC7A11 in combination with H2O2 treatment results in toxic buildup of intracellular cystine and other disulfide molecules, NADPH depletion, redox system collapse, and rapid cell death (likely disulfidptosis). Additionally, high overexpression of SLC7A11 promotes tumor growth but suppresses tumor metastasis, likely because metastasizing cancer cells with high expression of SLC7A11 are particularly susceptible to oxidative stress. Our findings reveal that xCT expression level dictates cancer cells' sensitivity to oxidative stress and suggests a context-dependent role for SLC7A11 in tumor biology (Yan et al. 2023).  By inhibiting the xCT transporter or AMPA receptors in vivo, brain swelling and peritumoral alterations can be mitigated (Yakubov et al. 2023). Butyrate enhances erastin-induced ferroptosis of osteosarcoma cells by regulating the ATF3/SLC7A11 pathway(Nie et al. 2023).  It shows increased activity in ovarian cancer and may be a theraputic target (Fantone et al. 2024; Han et al. 2024). The non-natriuretic-dependent Xc- is composed of two protein subunits, SLC7A11 and SLC3A2, with SLC7A11 being responsible for cystine uptake and glutathione biosynthesis. SLC7A11 is implicated in tumor development through its regulation of redox homeostasis, amino acid metabolism, modulation of immune function, and induction of programmed cell death. Jiang and Sun 2024 summarized the structure and biological functions of SLC7A11. It depends on SLC3A2 (4F2, 4F2HC, CD98, MDU1, NACAE) listed in TCDB under TC# 8.A.9.2.2. Luteolin attenuates CCl4-induced hepatic injury by inhibiting ferroptosis via SLC7A11 (Han et al. 2024). Targeting sirtuiin-3 (SIRT3) sensitizes glioblastoma to ferroptosis by promoting mitophagy and inhibiting SLC7A11 (Li et al. 2024). An inhibitor of SLC7A11 (xCT) has been identified (Yue et al. 2024).  It acts as a chaperone that facilitates biogenesis and trafficking of functional transporters heterodimers to the plasma membrane. It forms heterodimers with SLC7 family transporters (SLC7A5, SLC7A6, SLC7A7, SLC7A8, SLC7A10 and SLC7A11), a group of amino-acid antiporters (Rossier et al. 1999).  Heterodimers function as amino acids exchangers, the specificity of the substrate depending on the SLC7A subunit. Heterodimers SLC3A2/SLC7A6 or SLC3A2/SLC7A7 mediate the uptake of dibasic amino acids (Bröer et al. 2000.  LAPTM4B (see TC# 2.A.74.1.3) counteracts ferroptosis by suppressing the ubiquitin-proteasome degradation of SLC7A11 in non-small cell lung cancer (Yan et al. 2024).  STEAP3 (TC# 5.B.6.1.1) affects ovarian cancer progression by regulating ferroptosis through the p53/SLC7A11 pathway (Han et al. 2024).  The E3 ligase TRIM7 suppresses the tumorigenesis of gastric cancer by targeting SLC7A11 (Chen et al. 2024). Sevoflurane-induced neurotoxicity occurs through SLC7A11-associated ferroptosis (Hu et al. 2024). Human USP38 (ubiquitin-specific peptidase 38) exacerbates myocardial injury and malignant ventricular arrhythmias after ischemia/reperfusion by promoting ferroptosis through the P53/SLC7A11 pathway (Gong et al. 2025).  Dicoumarol sensitizes hepatocellular carcinoma cells to ferroptosis induced by imidazole ketone erastin (IKE) (Yang et al. 2025).  Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death, is characterized by the lethal accumulation of lipid peroxides on cellular membranes. It not only inhibits tumor growth but also enhances immunotherapy responses and overcomes drug resistance in cancer therapy. The inhibition of the cystine-glutamate antiporter, system Xc-, induces ferroptosis. Imidazole ketone erastin (IKE), an inhibitor of the system Xc- functional subunit solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11), is an effective and metabolically stable inducer of ferroptosis (Yang et al. 2025).

Accession Number:P08195
Protein Name:4F2 cell-surface antigen heavy chain
Length:630
Molecular Weight:67994.00
Species:Homo sapiens (Human) [9606]
Number of TMSs:2
Location1 / Topology2 / Orientation3: Apical cell membrane1 / Single-pass type II membrane protein2
Substrate cystine, glutamate(2-)

Cross database links:

RefSeq: NP_001012679.1    NP_001012680.1    NP_001012681.1    NP_001012682.1    NP_001013269.1    NP_002385.3   
Entrez Gene ID: 6520   
Pfam: PF00128   
OMIM: 158070  gene
BioCyc: MetaCyc:MONOMER-15188   
KEGG: hsa:6520    hsa:6520   

Gene Ontology

GO:0016324 C:apical plasma membrane
GO:0009986 C:cell surface
GO:0016021 C:integral to membrane
GO:0042470 C:melanosome
GO:0005432 F:calcium:sodium antiporter activity
GO:0003824 F:catalytic activity
GO:0043169 F:cation binding
GO:0015175 F:neutral amino acid transmembrane transporte...
GO:0005515 F:protein binding
GO:0006816 P:calcium ion transport
GO:0005975 P:carbohydrate metabolic process
GO:0016049 P:cell growth
GO:0060356 P:leucine import
GO:0015827 P:tryptophan transport
GO:0005886 C:plasma membrane
GO:0015175 F:neutral amino acid transmembrane transporter activity
GO:0007596 P:blood coagulation
GO:0050900 P:leukocyte migration

References (71)

[1] “Molecular cloning of complementary DNAs encoding the heavy chain of the human 4F2 cell-surface antigen: a type II membrane glycoprotein involved in normal and neoplastic cell growth.”  Quackenbush E.et.al.   3476959
[2] “Primary structure of the human 4F2 antigen heavy chain predicts a transmembrane protein with a cytoplasmic NH2 terminus.”  Teixeira S.et.al.   3036867
[3] “Cloning, sequence analysis, and expression of the large subunit of the human lymphocyte activation antigen 4F2.”  Lumadue J.A.et.al.   3480538
[4] “Isolation and structural characterization of the human 4F2 heavy-chain gene, an inducible gene involved in T-lymphocyte activation.”  Gottesdiener K.M.et.al.   3265470
[5] “Human L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1): characterization of function and expression in tumor cell lines.”  Yanagida O.et.al.   11557028
[6] “Human chromosome 11 DNA sequence and analysis including novel gene identification.”  Taylor T.D.et.al.   16554811
[7] “The status, quality, and expansion of the NIH full-length cDNA project: the Mammalian Gene Collection (MGC).”  The MGC Project Teamet.al.   15489334
[8] “Identification and characterization of a membrane protein (y+L amino acid transporter-1) that associates with 4F2hc to encode the amino acid transport activity y+L. A candidate gene for lysinuric protein intolerance.”  Torrents D.et.al.   9829974
[9] “Amino-acid transport by heterodimers of 4F2hc/CD98 and members of a permease family.”  Mastroberardino L.et.al.   9751058
[10] “Amino acid transport of y+L-type by heterodimers of 4F2hc/CD98 and members of the glycoprotein-associated amino acid transporter family.”  Pfeiffer R.et.al.   9878049
[11] “The heterodimeric amino acid transporter 4F2hc/y+LAT2 mediates arginine efflux in exchange with glutamine.”  Broeer A.et.al.   10903140
[12] “Association of 4F2hc with light chains LAT1, LAT2 or y+LAT2 requires different domains.”  Broeer A.et.al.   11311135
[13] “Role of the System L permease LAT1 in amino acid and iodothyronine transport in placenta.”  Ritchie J.W.A.et.al.   11389679
[14] “Beta1 integrins show specific association with CD98 protein in low density membranes.”  Kolesnikova T.V.et.al.   11696247
[15] “Thyroid hormone transport by the heterodimeric human system L amino acid transporter.”  Friesema E.C.H.et.al.   11564694
[16] “Expression and regulation of 4F2hc and hLAT1 in human trophoblasts.”  Okamoto Y.et.al.   11742812
[17] “Molecular cloning and characterization of CT120, a novel membrane-associated gene involved in amino acid transport and glutathione metabolism.”  He X.H.et.al.   12270127
[18] “Transport of a neurotoxicant by molecular mimicry: the methylmercury-L-cysteine complex is a substrate for human L-type large neutral amino acid transporter (LAT) 1 and LAT2.”  Simmons-Willis T.A.et.al.   12117417
[19] “Characterization of the system L amino acid transporter in T24 human bladder carcinoma cells.”  Kim D.K.et.al.   12225859
[20] “Cluster analysis of an extensive human breast cancer cell line protein expression map database.”  Harris R.A.et.al.   11840567
[21] “Nitric oxide synthesis requires activity of the cationic and neutral amino acid transport system y+L in human umbilical vein endothelium.”  Arancibia-Garavilla Y.et.al.   14603368
[22] “CD98 and intracellular adhesion molecule I regulate the activity of amino acid transporter LAT-2 in polarized intestinal epithelia.”  Liu X.et.al.   12716892
[23] “Identification and quantification of N-linked glycoproteins using hydrazide chemistry, stable isotope labeling and mass spectrometry.”  Zhang H.et.al.   12754519
[24] “L-type amino acid transporter 1-mediated L-leucine transport at the inner blood-retinal barrier.”  Tomi M.et.al.   15980244
[25] “Identification of stereoselective transporters for S-nitroso-L-cysteine: role of LAT1 and LAT2 in biological activity of S-nitrosothiols.”  Li S.et.al.   15769744
[26] “Human plasma N-glycoproteome analysis by immunoaffinity subtraction, hydrazide chemistry, and mass spectrometry.”  Liu T.et.al.   16335952
[27] “Global, in vivo, and site-specific phosphorylation dynamics in signaling networks.”  Olsen J.V.et.al.   17081983
[28] “L-type amino acid transporter 1 as a potential molecular target in human astrocytic tumors.”  Nawashiro H.et.al.   16496379
[29] “Proteomic and bioinformatic characterization of the biogenesis and function of melanosomes.”  Chi A.et.al.   17081065
[30] “Quantitative analysis of global ubiquitination in HeLa cells by mass spectrometry.”  Meierhofer D.et.al.   18781797
[31] “Ecto-phosphorylation of CD98 regulates cell-cell interactions.”  Nguyen H.T.T.et.al.   19065266
[32] “Glycoproteomics analysis of human liver tissue by combination of multiple enzyme digestion and hydrazide chemistry.”  Chen R.et.al.   19159218
[33] “Mass-spectrometric identification and relative quantification of N-linked cell surface glycoproteins.”  Wollscheid B.et.al.   19349973
[34] “Quantitative phosphoproteomic analysis of T cell receptor signaling reveals system-wide modulation of protein-protein interactions.”  Mayya V.et.al.   19690332
[35] “The structure of human 4F2hc ectodomain provides a model for homodimerization and electrostatic interaction with plasma membrane.”  Fort J.et.al.   17724034
[36] “Molecular cloning of complementary DNAs encoding the heavy chain of the human 4F2 cell-surface antigen: a type II membrane glycoprotein involved in normal and neoplastic cell growth.”  Quackenbush E.et.al.   3476959
[37] “Primary structure of the human 4F2 antigen heavy chain predicts a transmembrane protein with a cytoplasmic NH2 terminus.”  Teixeira S.et.al.   3036867
[38] “Cloning, sequence analysis, and expression of the large subunit of the human lymphocyte activation antigen 4F2.”  Lumadue J.A.et.al.   3480538
[39] “Isolation and structural characterization of the human 4F2 heavy-chain gene, an inducible gene involved in T-lymphocyte activation.”  Gottesdiener K.M.et.al.   3265470
[40] “Human L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1): characterization of function and expression in tumor cell lines.”  Yanagida O.et.al.   11557028
[41] “Human chromosome 11 DNA sequence and analysis including novel gene identification.”  Taylor T.D.et.al.   16554811
[42] “The status, quality, and expansion of the NIH full-length cDNA project: the Mammalian Gene Collection (MGC).”  The MGC Project Teamet.al.   15489334
[43] “Identification and characterization of a membrane protein (y+L amino acid transporter-1) that associates with 4F2hc to encode the amino acid transport activity y+L. A candidate gene for lysinuric protein intolerance.”  Torrents D.et.al.   9829974
[44] “Amino-acid transport by heterodimers of 4F2hc/CD98 and members of a permease family.”  Mastroberardino L.et.al.   9751058
[45] “Amino acid transport of y+L-type by heterodimers of 4F2hc/CD98 and members of the glycoprotein-associated amino acid transporter family.”  Pfeiffer R.et.al.   9878049
[46] “The heterodimeric amino acid transporter 4F2hc/y+LAT2 mediates arginine efflux in exchange with glutamine.”  Broeer A.et.al.   10903140
[47] “Association of 4F2hc with light chains LAT1, LAT2 or y+LAT2 requires different domains.”  Broeer A.et.al.   11311135
[48] “Role of the System L permease LAT1 in amino acid and iodothyronine transport in placenta.”  Ritchie J.W.A.et.al.   11389679
[49] “Beta1 integrins show specific association with CD98 protein in low density membranes.”  Kolesnikova T.V.et.al.   11696247
[50] “Thyroid hormone transport by the heterodimeric human system L amino acid transporter.”  Friesema E.C.H.et.al.   11564694
[51] “Expression and regulation of 4F2hc and hLAT1 in human trophoblasts.”  Okamoto Y.et.al.   11742812
[52] “Molecular cloning and characterization of CT120, a novel membrane-associated gene involved in amino acid transport and glutathione metabolism.”  He X.H.et.al.   12270127
[53] “Transport of a neurotoxicant by molecular mimicry: the methylmercury-L-cysteine complex is a substrate for human L-type large neutral amino acid transporter (LAT) 1 and LAT2.”  Simmons-Willis T.A.et.al.   12117417
[54] “Characterization of the system L amino acid transporter in T24 human bladder carcinoma cells.”  Kim D.K.et.al.   12225859
[55] “Cluster analysis of an extensive human breast cancer cell line protein expression map database.”  Harris R.A.et.al.   11840567
[56] “Nitric oxide synthesis requires activity of the cationic and neutral amino acid transport system y+L in human umbilical vein endothelium.”  Arancibia-Garavilla Y.et.al.   14603368
[57] “CD98 and intracellular adhesion molecule I regulate the activity of amino acid transporter LAT-2 in polarized intestinal epithelia.”  Liu X.et.al.   12716892
[58] “Identification and quantification of N-linked glycoproteins using hydrazide chemistry, stable isotope labeling and mass spectrometry.”  Zhang H.et.al.   12754519
[59] “L-type amino acid transporter 1-mediated L-leucine transport at the inner blood-retinal barrier.”  Tomi M.et.al.   15980244
[60] “Identification of stereoselective transporters for S-nitroso-L-cysteine: role of LAT1 and LAT2 in biological activity of S-nitrosothiols.”  Li S.et.al.   15769744
[61] “Human plasma N-glycoproteome analysis by immunoaffinity subtraction, hydrazide chemistry, and mass spectrometry.”  Liu T.et.al.   16335952
[62] “Global, in vivo, and site-specific phosphorylation dynamics in signaling networks.”  Olsen J.V.et.al.   17081983
[63] “L-type amino acid transporter 1 as a potential molecular target in human astrocytic tumors.”  Nawashiro H.et.al.   16496379
[64] “Proteomic and bioinformatic characterization of the biogenesis and function of melanosomes.”  Chi A.et.al.   17081065
[65] “Quantitative analysis of global ubiquitination in HeLa cells by mass spectrometry.”  Meierhofer D.et.al.   18781797
[66] “Ecto-phosphorylation of CD98 regulates cell-cell interactions.”  Nguyen H.T.T.et.al.   19065266
[67] “Glycoproteomics analysis of human liver tissue by combination of multiple enzyme digestion and hydrazide chemistry.”  Chen R.et.al.   19159218
[68] “Mass-spectrometric identification and relative quantification of N-linked cell surface glycoproteins.”  Wollscheid B.et.al.   19349973
[69] “Quantitative phosphoproteomic analysis of T cell receptor signaling reveals system-wide modulation of protein-protein interactions.”  Mayya V.et.al.   19690332
[70] “Initial characterization of the human central proteome.”  Burkard T.R.et.al.   21269460
[71] “The structure of human 4F2hc ectodomain provides a model for homodimerization and electrostatic interaction with plasma membrane.”  Fort J.et.al.   17724034
Structure:
2DH2   2DH3   6JMQ   6JMR   6S8V     

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Predict TMSs (Predict number of transmembrane segments)
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FASTA formatted sequence
1:	MELQPPEASI AVVSIPRQLP GSHSEAGVQG LSAGDDSELG SHCVAQTGLE LLASGDPLPS 
61:	ASQNAEMIET GSDCVTQAGL QLLASSDPPA LASKNAEVTG TMSQDTEVDM KEVELNELEP 
121:	EKQPMNAASG AAMSLAGAEK NGLVKIKVAE DEAEAAAAAK FTGLSKEELL KVAGSPGWVR 
181:	TRWALLLLFW LGWLGMLAGA VVIIVRAPRC RELPAQKWWH TGALYRIGDL QAFQGHGAGN 
241:	LAGLKGRLDY LSSLKVKGLV LGPIHKNQKD DVAQTDLLQI DPNFGSKEDF DSLLQSAKKK 
301:	SIRVILDLTP NYRGENSWFS TQVDTVATKV KDALEFWLQA GVDGFQVRDI ENLKDASSFL 
361:	AEWQNITKGF SEDRLLIAGT NSSDLQQILS LLESNKDLLL TSSYLSDSGS TGEHTKSLVT 
421:	QYLNATGNRW CSWSLSQARL LTSFLPAQLL RLYQLMLFTL PGTPVFSYGD EIGLDAAALP 
481:	GQPMEAPVML WDESSFPDIP GAVSANMTVK GQSEDPGSLL SLFRRLSDQR SKERSLLHGD 
541:	FHAFSAGPGL FSYIRHWDQN ERFLVVLNFG DVGLSAGLQA SDLPASASLP AKADLLLSTQ 
601:	PGREEGSPLE LERLKLEPHE GLLLRFPYAA