Urea transporter, kidney also known as urea transporter 2 (UT2) or solute carrier family 14 member 2 (SLC14A2) is a protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 that in humans is encoded by the SLC14A2 gene

Gene

A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

.

Function

In mammal

Mammal

Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...

ian cells, urea

Urea

Urea or carbamide is an organic compound with the chemical formula CO2. The molecule has two —NH2 groups joined by a carbonyl functional group....

 is the chief end-product of nitrogen

Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...

 catabolism

Catabolism

Catabolism is the set of metabolic pathways that break down molecules into smaller units and release energy. In catabolism, large molecules such as polysaccharides, lipids, nucleic acids and proteins are broken down into smaller units such as monosaccharides, fatty acids, nucleotides, and amino...

 and plays an important role in the urinary concentration

Countercurrent multiplication

A countercurrent multiplier system is a mechanism that expends energy to create a concentration gradient.It is found widely in nature and especially in mamalian organs...

 mechanism. Thus, the plasma membrane of erythrocytes and some renal epithelial

Epithelium

Epithelium is one of the four basic types of animal tissue, along with connective tissue, muscle tissue and nervous tissue. Epithelial tissues line the cavities and surfaces of structures throughout the body, and also form many glands. Functions of epithelial cells include secretion, selective...

 cells exhibit an elevated urea permeability

Membrane transport

In cellular biology the term membrane transport refers to the collection of mechanisms that regulate the passage of solutes such as ions and small molecules through biological membranes namely lipid bilayers that contain proteins embedded in them...

 that is mediated by highly selective urea transporter

Urea transporter

An urea transporter is a membrane transport protein, transporting urea. Humans and other mammals have two types of urea transport proteins, UT-A and UT-B. The UT-A proteins are important for renal urea handling and are produced by alternative splicing of the SLC14A2 gene...

s. In mammals, two urea transporters have been identified: the renal tubular urea transporter, UT2 (UT-A

Urea transporter

An urea transporter is a membrane transport protein, transporting urea. Humans and other mammals have two types of urea transport proteins, UT-A and UT-B. The UT-A proteins are important for renal urea handling and are produced by alternative splicing of the SLC14A2 gene...

, and the erythrocyte urea transporter, UT11 (also called UT-B, coded for by the SLC14A1

SLC14A1

Urea transporter, erythrocyte is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SLC14A1 gene.-Function:The SLC14A1 codes for a urea transporter that is expressed in erythrocytes and kidney. SLC14A2 and SLC14A1 constitute solute carrier family 14. UTB proteins constitute the Kidd antigen...

 gene). SLC14A2 and SLC14A1

SLC14A1

Urea transporter, erythrocyte is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SLC14A1 gene.-Function:The SLC14A1 codes for a urea transporter that is expressed in erythrocytes and kidney. SLC14A2 and SLC14A1 constitute solute carrier family 14. UTB proteins constitute the Kidd antigen...

 constitute solute carrier family

Solute carrier family

The solute carrier group of membrane transport proteins include over 300 members organized into 51 families. The SLC gene nomenclature system was originally proposed by the Human Genome Organization and is the basis for the official HUGO names of the genes that encode these transporters...

14.

Further reading