Substrate recognition and transport mechanism of the human proton-coupled amino-acid transporter 1 (SLC36A1)

Yin J, Yang M et al. · 2026 · Nature Communications · Atlas ID YIN2026

What this study shows

Cryo-EM structures of human PAT1 (SLC36A1) in apo and substrate-bound states reveal a convergent binding mode for diverse zwitterionic amino acids; PAT1 mediates lysosomal amino acid export and mTORC1 activation.

Abstract

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The proton-coupled amino-acid transporter SLC36A1 (hPAT1) is an atypical H+-driven carrier and mediates the intestinal absorption of a wide array of zwitterionic amino-acid analogs, including many compounds with central nervous-system (CNS) activity, as well as the activation of the mTORC1 pathway and the export of amino acids from lysosomes, thereby maintaining cellular amino-acid homeostasis.

Read the full abstract on PubMed →

At a glance

Evidence type	M Molecular — cells, biochemistry, structure Marked M because it is molecular or in-vitro work (model: Recombinant human protein (cryo-EM)) rather than a whole-organism health-outcome study. That is often exactly where causal biology gets established -- the code says which system the finding was shown in, and nothing about how good the work is.
Study type	5 - Mechanistic / In Vitro
Model system	Recombinant human protein (cryo-EM)
Journal	Nature Communications
Year	2026
Peer reviewed	Yes
Record last updated	2026-08-22
Source	DOI 10.1038/s41467-026-75306-z · PMID 42414312

Extracted findings

Intervention	Structural/biochemical (cryo-EM of SLC36A1/PAT1, apo + 3 substrate-bound states)
Target	SLC36A1 (PAT1) / lysosomal amino acid efflux / mTORC1 activation
Model	Human (recombinant protein, cryo-EM; no animal/cell phenotype data)
Effect	Reveals structural basis for substrate promiscuity of PAT1; supports PAT1's role in lysosomal amino acid export and mTORC1 activation

Cite this paper

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Yin, J., et al. (2026). Substrate recognition and transport mechanism of the human proton-coupled amino-acid transporter 1 (SLC36A1). Nature Communications. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-75306-z

@article{YIN2026,
  author       = {Yin, J. and Yang, M. and others},
  title        = {{Substrate recognition and transport mechanism of the human proton-coupled amino-acid transporter 1 (SLC36A1)}},
  journal      = {Nature Communications},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {10.1038/s41467-026-75306-z},
  note         = {PMID: 42414312},
}

Cite this Atlas record

The record is the Atlas's own work — the evidence label, the extracted findings and the links. It is cited as part of the dataset, not as the paper.

Barton, O. (2026). Oliver's mTOR Atlas (record YIN2026) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/YIN2026/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_YIN2026,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record YIN2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/YIN2026/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}