2. Academic Validation
  3. Structural and functional insights into Spns2-mediated transport of sphingosine-1-phosphate

Structural and functional insights into Spns2-mediated transport of sphingosine-1-phosphate

  • Cell. 2023 May 17;S0092-8674(23)00457-9. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.04.028.
Hongwen Chen 1,  Shahbaz Ahmed 2,  Hongtu Zhao 2,  Nadia Elghobashi-Meinhardt 3,  Yaxin Dai 2,  Jae Hun Kim 4,  Jeffrey G McDonald 5,  Xiaochun Li 6,  Chia-Hsueh Lee 7
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
  • 2 Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.
  • 3 Institute of Chemistry, Technical University Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
  • 4 Center for Human Nutrition, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
  • 5 Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Center for Human Nutrition, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
  • 6 Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 7 Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 37224812 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.04.028
Abstract

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is an important signaling sphingolipid that regulates the immune system, angiogenesis, auditory function, and epithelial and endothelial barrier integrity. Spinster homolog 2 (Spns2) is an S1P transporter that exports S1P to initiate lipid signaling cascades. Modulating Spns2 activity can be beneficial in treatments of Cancer, inflammation, and immune diseases. However, the transport mechanism of Spns2 and its inhibition remain unclear. Here, we present six cryo-EM structures of human Spns2 in lipid nanodiscs, including two functionally relevant intermediate conformations that link the inward- and outward-facing states, to reveal the structural basis of the S1P transport cycle. Functional analyses suggest that Spns2 exports S1P via facilitated diffusion, a mechanism distinct from other MFS lipid transporters. Finally, we show that the Spns2 inhibitor 16d attenuates the transport activity by locking Spns2 in the inward-facing state. Our work sheds LIGHT on Spns2-mediated S1P transport and aids the development of advanced Spns2 inhibitors.

Keywords

S1P; Spns2; cryo-EM; major facilitator superfamily; sphingolipid; uniporter.

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