Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33428810›Full record

ArticleEMBO molecular medicine2021

SLC6A20 transporter: a novel regulator of brain glycine homeostasis and NMDAR function.

Mihyun Bae, Junyeop Daniel Roh, Youjoung Kim, Seong Soon Kim, Hye Min Han, Esther Yang, Hyojin Kang, Suho Lee, Jin Yong Kim, Ryeonghwa Kang and 15 more

Erratum issuedOpen access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in EMBO molecular medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 35 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
35citing papers in PubMed
3.8field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

35 citing papers in PubMed, 54 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
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  8. Dietary folic acid prevents peripheral neuropathy in mouse models of neural tube defects and type 2 diabetes.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026
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  14. Design of (Journal of medicinal chemistry · 2025
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

25 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.

Mihyun BaeCenter for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon, Korea.
Junyeop Daniel RohDepartment of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Korea.
Youjoung KimDepartment of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Korea.
Seong Soon KimTherapeutics and Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), Daejeon, Korea.
Hye Min HanDepartment of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Dentistry, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea.
Esther YangDepartment of Anatomy and Division of Brain Korea 21, Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
Hyojin KangDivision of National Supercomputing, KISTI, Daejeon, Korea.
Suho LeeCenter for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon, Korea.
Jin Yong KimDepartment of Anatomy and Division of Brain Korea 21, Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
Ryeonghwa KangDepartment of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Korea.
Hwajin JungCenter for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon, Korea.
Taesun YooCenter for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon, Korea.
Hyosang KimDepartment of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Korea.
Doyoun KimCenter for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon, Korea.ORCID 0000-0002-6036-8996
Heejeong OhDepartment of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Korea.
Sungwook HanDepartment of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Korea.
Dayeon KimGraduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, Korea.
Jinju HanGraduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, Korea.ORCID 0000-0003-1844-2301
Yong Chul BaeDepartment of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Dentistry, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea.ORCID 0000-0002-7618-418X
Hyun KimDepartment of Anatomy and Division of Brain Korea 21, Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.ORCID 0000-0001-8235-7553
Sunjoo AhnTherapeutics and Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), Daejeon, Korea.
Andrew M ChanSchool of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.ORCID 0000-0001-9923-5464
Daeyoup LeeDepartment of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Korea.ORCID 0000-0003-2006-1823
Jin Woo KimDepartment of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Korea.ORCID 0000-0003-0767-1918
Eunjoon KimCenter for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon, Korea.ORCID 0000-0001-5518-6584
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology · KRInstitute for Basic Science · KRKorea Research Institute of Chemical Technology · KRKyungpook National University · KRChinese University of Hong Kong · HKKorea Institute of Science & Technology Information · KRKorea University · KR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Glycine transporters (GlyT1 and GlyT2) that regulate levels of brain glycine, an inhibitory neurotransmitter with co-agonist activity for NMDA receptors (NMDARs), have been considered to be important targets for the treatment of brain disorders with suppressed NMDAR function such as schizophrenia. However, it remains unclear whether other amino acid transporters expressed in the brain can also regulate brain glycine levels and NMDAR function. Here, we report that SLC6A20A, an amino acid transporter known to transport proline based on in vitro data but is understudied in the brain, regulates proline and glycine levels and NMDAR function in the mouse brain. SLC6A20A transcript and protein levels were abnormally increased in mice carrying a mutant PTEN protein lacking the C terminus through enhanced β-catenin binding to the Slc6a20a gene. These mice displayed reduced extracellular levels of brain proline and glycine and decreased NMDAR currents. Elevating glycine levels back to normal ranges by antisense oligonucleotide-induced SLC6A20 knockdown, or the competitive GlyT1 antagonist sarcosine, normalized NMDAR currents and repetitive climbing behavior observed in these mice. Conversely, mice lacking SLC6A20A displayed increased extracellular glycine levels and NMDAR currents. Lastly, both mouse and human SLC6A20 proteins mediated proline and glycine transports, and SLC6A20 proteins could be detected in human neurons. These results suggest that SLC6A20 regulates proline and glycine homeostasis in the brain and that SLC6A20 inhibition has therapeutic potential for brain disorders involving NMDAR hypofunction.

Indexed as

GlycineReceptors, N-Methyl-D-AspartateAnimalsBrainGlycine Plasma Membrane Transport ProteinsHomeostasisMembrane Transport ProteinsMiceGlycineGlycine Plasma Membrane Transport ProteinsMembrane Transport ProteinsReceptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartateglycine transporterneuropsychiatric disordersNMDA receptorPTENSlc6a20

Identifiers

PMID33428810
PMCPMC7863395
OpenAlexW3120449903

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.