CLONING, IN-VITRO EXPRESSION, AND TISSUE DISTRIBUTION OF A HUMAN PROSTAGLANDIN TRANSPORTER CDNA (HPGT)

We recently identified a cDNA in the rat that encodes a broadly expres sed PG transporter (PGT). Because PGs play diverse and important roles in human health and disease, we cloned human PGT (hPGT) from an adult human kidney cDNA library. A consensus sequence (4.0 kb) derived from several clones, plus 3' polymerase chain reaction amplification, exhi bited 74% nucleic acid identity and 82% amino acid identity compared t o rat PGT. When transiently expressed in HeLa cells, a full-length clo ne catalyzed the transport of PGE(1), PGE(2), PGD(2), PGF(2 alpha) and , to a lesser degree TXB(2). Northern blotting revealed mRNA transcrip ts of many different sizes in adult human heart, placenta, brain, lung , liver, skeletal muscle, pancreas, kidney, spleen, prostate, ovary, s mall intestine, and colon. hPGT mRNAs are also strongly expressed in h uman fetal brain, lung, liver, and kidney. The broad tissue distributi on and substrate profile of hPGT suggest a role in the transport and/o r metabolic clearance of PGs in diverse human tissues.