{
  "id": 12915921,
  "title": "Direct detection of electrogenic polyamine transport",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/direct-detection-of-electrogenic-polyamine-transport",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-08T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.01.755726v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Polyamines, such as putrescine, spermidine, and spermine, are cationic metabolites crucial for various cellular processes like transcription, translation, and cell proliferation. While these polyamines have potential as therapeutic targets in human diseases, the polyamine transport system's details remain unclear. Recent research identified ATP13A2-4 as endolysosomal polyamine exporters, moving putrescine, spermidine, and spermine from the vesicular lumen to the cytosol. However, current assays measuring transporter function are indirect or endpoint-based, not providing real-time insights into transport events.\n\nIn a groundbreaking study, researchers directly measured polyamine transporter activity using voltage-clamp recordings. By expressing ATP13A2-3 transporters in Xenopus oocytes, they enabled electrophysiological measurements. When polyamines were introduced, they induced inward currents dependent on the transporter's catalytic activity. The dose-response of these currents correlated with ATPase assays, confirming their functional relevance. Notably, ATP13A2 currents peaked in response to spermine, while ATP13A3 currents were most prominent with putrescine, aligning with their known substrate preferences. Importantly, the polyamine-induced currents could be blocked by the polyamine transport inhibitor AMXT-1501.\n\nThese findings establish ATP13A2 and ATP13A3 as electrogenic polyamine pumps, offering a new tool for studying these transporters. The two-electrode voltage clamp technique provides a label-free, transporter-specific assay, complementing existing methods and advancing polyamine transporter-targeted drug discovery efforts.",
  "summary": "Polyamines are cationic metabolites that support critical cellular processes including transcription, translation, and cell proliferation. Although polyamine synthesis and transport are emerging therapeutic targets in human disease, the polyamine transport system remains poorly understood. ATP13A2-4 were recently identified as endolysosomal polyamine exporters, transporting putrescine (PUT),…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}