Identification of a bacterial NCS1 family transporter enabling high-affinity uptake of the antidiabetic drug metformin
Zhi-Jing Xu, Tao Li, Ning-Yi Zhou · 2026
Read Identification of a bacterial NCS1 family transporter enabling high-affinity uptake of the antidiabetic drug metformin by Zhi-Jing Xu, Tao Li, Ning-Yi Zhou (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/PMC13390362.txt.
Description
Zhi-Jing Xu, Tao Li, and Ning-Yi Zhou identify, in 2026, the bacterial transporter that pulls the diabetes drug metformin into cells. Metformin is a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes and also a widespread pollutant in water, and bacteria that break it down must first take it up.
Working with a metformin-using strain of Aminobacter, the team knocked out the candidate gene, named metT, and restored it again to prove its role. Loss of the gene blocked growth on metformin, showing the transporter is essential for entry. The protein belongs to the NCS1 family and binds metformin with high affinity. Microbiologists gain the missing uptake step in a known breakdown pathway, useful for tracking the drug in the environment.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Zhi-Jing Xu, Tao Li, Ning-Yi Zhou |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 56024 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |