Organic anion transporters (OATs) play a fundamental role in the elimination of numerous endogenous and exogenous organic anions from the body. The secretion of numerous organic anions including endogenous metabolites, drugs, and xenobiotics, is an important physiological function of excretory organs such as kidney and the process of secretion of organic anions through the proximal tubule cells is achieved via unidirectional transcellular transport. To date, several families of multispecific organic anion transporters, including organic anion transporter (OAT) family, organic anion-transporting polypeptide (OATP) family, sodium-phosphate transporter (NPT) family and ATP-dependent organic anion transporters such as multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP) are identified by molecular cloning. Among them, some members of OATP (SLC21/SLCO) family and OAT (SLC22) family are thought to contribute to the membrane permeation of prostglandins (PGs), for example, PGE_2 and PGF_<2α>, that play various physiological and pathophysiological roles. The first PG-specific transporter PGT (prostaglandin transporter), a member of SLC21/SLCO family, was identified in 1995. This transporter may play a primary role in the removal of bioactive PGs from the circulation. Recently, we identified a novel member of the SLC22 family expressed in mouse kidney and designated this member as OAT-PG (organic anion transporter for prostaglandins). This OAT-PG specifically transports PGs which are localized in proximal tubules.
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