Structure and function of a monocarboxylate transporter homolog specific for L-lactate.

Monocarboxylate transporters play important roles in certain cancers. We have reported structures of an L-lactate-transporting solute carrier family 16 homolog with bound substrate and inhibitor. The structures show the transporter in the pharmacologically relevant outward-open conformation. Structure-function analysis provides insights into the molecular working mechanisms of ligand binding and L-lactate transport.