Stoichiometric transport of estrone 3-sulfate among genetic variants of OATP1A2 and OATP2B1 and structural analysis by molecular dynamics simulation: Impairment of gating mechanism in the unstable inward-open conformation of OATP2B1 (Asp215Val) significantly suppress the transport activity

This study investigated the impact of genetic variations in organic anion transporting polypeptides (OATPs) 1A2 and 2B1 on their transport activity at pH 6.3 and 7.4 by using HEK293 cells expressing OATP variants, focusing on stoichiometric transport kinetic parameters corrected for the number of transporters on the plasma membrane. In the OATP2B1 Asp215Val, the maximal velocity per OATP molecule and intrinsic clearance at pH 6.3 were drastically reduced to 0.0648- and 0.0178-fold, respectively, compared with the wild type. All tested OATP1A2 variants exhibited increased transport activity at pH 6.3, suggesting that OATP1A2 is more sensitive to extracellular pH. Furthermore, we used the AlphaFold model to explain the observed differences in transport activity among genetic variants. In OATP1A2, the Glu172Asp mutation replaces a longer glutamate side chain with a shorter aspartate, which may enhance substrate interactions while weakening the salt-bridge interactions with neighboring residues, potentially compromising structural integrity. In OATP2B1, the Asp215Val variant was found to disrupt a key salt-bridge interaction with Lys595, which destabilizes the outward-open conformation. Moreover, the Val201Met mutation appears to lock the transporter in a single conformational state. Our findings underscore the importance of transmembrane helix 4 in maintaining functional conformational dynamics and suggest that mutations in this region can significantly alter substrate binding and transport efficiency in OATP1A2 and 2B1. Significance Statement: This study combined uptake assays using transporter-expressing cell lines, liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry transporter quantification, and computer modeling to clarify the changes in transport activity per molecule, and these mechanisms caused by amino acid substitutions in organic anion transporting polypeptides 1A2 and 2B1.