SLC46A3

Solute carrier family 46 member 3 (SLC46A3) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SLC46A3 gene. Also referred to as FKSG16, the protein belongs to the major facilitator superfamily (MFS) and SLC46A family. Most commonly found in the plasma membrane and endoplasmic reticulum (ER), SLC46A3 is a multi-pass membrane protein with 11 α-helical transmembrane domains. It is mainly involved in the transport of small molecules across the membrane through the substrate translocation pores featured in the MFS domain. The protein is associated with breast and prostate cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), papilloma, glioma, obesity, and SARS-CoV. Based on the differential expression of SLC46A3 in antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)-resistant cells and certain cancer cells, current research is focused on the potential of SLC46A3 as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for cancer. While protein abundance is relatively low in humans, high expression has been detected particularly in the liver, small intestine, and kidney.

== Gene == The SLC46A3 gene, also known by its aliases solute carrier family 46 member 3 and FKSG16, is located at 13q12.3 on the reverse strand in humans. The gene spans 18,950 bases from 28,700,064 to 28,719,013 (GRCh38/hg38), flanked by POMP upstream and CYP51A1P2 downstream. SLC46A3 contains 6 exons and 5 introns. There are two paralogs for this gene, SLC46A1 and SLC46A2, and orthologs as distant as fungi. So far, more than 4580 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for this gene have been identified. SLC46A3 is expressed at relatively low levels, about 0.5x the average gene. Gene expression is peculiarly high in the liver, small intestine, and kidney.