Unraveling the Roles of Membrane Transporters in Metabolic, Neurological and Oncological Diseases

Membrane transporters regulate the movement of charged substances and macromolecules across biological membranes in living organisms, therefore playing a crucial role in maintaining physiological homeostasis. Transporters play a pivotal role in normal development and are implicated in the progression of certain diseases or their responses to therapy. In conjunction with endo- and xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes, transporter function is directly relevant to pharmacokinetics and toxicokinetics. Transporter research is therefore an integral part of physiology, pathology, pharmacology, and toxicology, and has a critical impact on the drug development process.

The current Research Topic focuses on advances in transporter research in three areas: metabolic diseases, neurological disorders, and cancer. Transporters play crucial roles in the pathophysiology of metabolic diseases. By regulating the movement of key molecules, such as glucose, fatty acids, and cholesterol, across biological compartments, transporters are essential gatekeepers of metabolic balance at both cellular and organismal levels. Transporter malfunctions are linked to diseases such as type 2 diabetes (T2D), obesity, lipid metabolism disorders, and associated cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, and gout. Defects in transporters in the nervous system responsible for moving neurotransmitters and/or clearing toxic metabolites are known to be associated with neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and epilepsy. In addition, transporter dysfunction in cancer has been a topic of intensive research, as it represents a major obstacle in cancer therapy, being the primary reason for treatment failure, disease recurrence, and patient mortality in metastatic tumors. The aim of this Research Topic is to highlight recent developments in the above areas, advancing our current understanding, promoting knowledge dissemination, and identifying significant gaps to steer future studies and innovations in the field of transporter research.

We welcome original research, review, and perspective articles encompassing mechanistic, translational, and clinical studies about transporters relevant to metabolic, neurological, and oncological diseases, with particular attention to molecular mechanism and disease association. Contributions should be focused on transporters that directly impact the pathogenesis, and therapy of metabolic diseases such as lipid and cholesterol disorders, carbohydrate disorders, amino acid and nitrogen disorders, and ion, mineral, and purine metabolism disorders; neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), epilepsy, lysosomal storage disorders with neurological symptoms, and other neurological disorders, such as Huntington’s disease (HD), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and manganese transporter defects. Also, studies about transporters involved in moving hormones or other chemicals (such as glucose or lactate) needed for cancer cell growth and tumor progression will be considered.