Identification and characterization of a putative human iodide transporter located at the apical membrane of thyrocytes

Iodide transport by thyrocytes is a two step process involving transporters located either in the basal or in the apical membranes of the cell. The sodium iodide symporter (NIS) is localized in the basolateral membrane facing the bloodstream and mediates iodide accumulation into thyrocytes. Pendrin has been proposed as an apical transporter. In order to identify new iodide transporters, we developed a PCR cloning strategy based on NIS sequence homologies. From a human kidney cDNA library, we characterized a gene, located on chromosome 12q23, that encodes a 610 amino acid protein sharing 46 % identity (70 % similarity) with the human NIS. Functional analysis of the protein expressed in mammalian cells indicates that it catalyzes a passive iodide transport. The protein product was immunohistochemically localized at the apical pole of the thyroid cells facing the colloid lumen. These results suggest that this new identified protein mediates iodide transport from the thyrocyte into the colloid lumen through the apical membrane. It was designated hAIT for human Apical Iodide Transporter.