biology

Magnesium transporter1 family

Magnesium transporter1 family is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Magnesium transporter1 family rather than just read about it. In short: The Magnesium Transporter 1 (MagT1) Family (TC# 1.A.76) is a group of magnesium transporters that are part of the TOG superfamily. Goytain and Quamme identified a Mg2+-related transporter whose expression or function was affected by an implantation-associated protein precursor.

Key takeaways

Magnesium transporter1 family belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Magnesium transporter1 family to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Magnesium transporter1 family from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Magnesium Transporter 1 (MagT1) Family (TC# 1.A.76) is a group of magnesium transporters that are part of the TOG superfamily. Goytain and Quamme identified a Mg2+-related transporter whose expression or function was affected by an implantation-associated protein precursor. They designated this protein, MagT1. MagT1 is expressed as a 335 amino acid polypeptide which includes five transmembrane helices. The nascent polypeptide possesses a cleavage site after the N-terminal signal sequence helix, rendering a mature MagT1 protein with four transmembrane helices. MagT1 additionally contains a number of phosphorylation sites. Recent evidence demonstrates that the primary function of MagT1 is protein glycosylation, mediated by MagT1's function as a component of the oligosaccharyltransferase (OST).

Function When expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, MagT1 mediates saturable Mg2+ uptake with a Km of 0.23 mM. Transport of Mg2+ by MagT1 is rheogenic, voltage-dependent, and does not display time-dependent inactivation. Transport is specific to Mg2+, as other divalent cations do not evoke currents. Large external concentrations of some cations inhibited Mg2+ transport (Ni2+, Zn2+, Mn2+) in MagT1-expressing oocytes although Ca2+and Fe2+ were without effect. MagT1 has an N-terminal thioredoxin domain of unknown function. Zhou and Clapham identified two mammalian genes, MagT1 and TUSC3, catalyzing Mg2+ influx. MagT1 is universally expressed in all human tissues, and its expression level is upregulated in low extracellular Mg2+. Knockdown of either MagT1 or TUSC3 protein lowered the total and free intracellular Mg2+concentrations in mammalian cell lines. Morpholino knockdown of MagT1 and TUSC3 protein expression in zebrafish embryos resulted in early developmental arrest; excess Mg2+ or supplementation with mammalian mRNAs rescued these effects. Thus, MagT1 and TUSC3 are vertebrate plasma membrane Mg2+ transport system.

Transport reaction The reaction catalyzed by MagT1, or a potential downstream glycosylation target (e.g. a Mg2+ transporter), is:

Mg2+ (out) → Mg2+ (in)

Role in magnesium deficiency The identification of genetic changes and their functional consequences in patients with immunodeficiency resulting from loss of MAGT1 revealed that magnesium and MagT1 are key molecular players for T cell-mediated immune responses. This led to the description of XMEN (X-linked immunodeficiency with magnesium defect, Epstein-Barr Virus infection, and neoplasia) syndrome, for which Mg2+ supplementation has been shown to be beneficial. Similarly, the identification of copy-number variation leading to dysfunctional MAGT1 in a family with atypical ATR-X syndrome and skin abnormalities, suggested that the MAGT1 defect is responsible for the cutaneous problems.

Role in protein glycosylation MagT1 and its homologue TUSC3 are both bona fide components of the oligosaccharyltransferase (OST).

References

As of this edit, this article uses content from "1.A.76. The Magnesium Transporter 1 (MagT1) Family", which is licensed in a way that permits reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, but not under the GFDL. All relevant terms must be followed.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Magnesium transporter1 family

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Magnesium transporter1 family claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Magnesium transporter1 family before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Magnesium transporter1 family ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Magnesium transporter1 family

In research: Magnesium transporter1 family appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Magnesium transporter1 family in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Magnesium transporter1 family is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Integral membrane proteins, Membrane proteins, Protein families, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Magnesium transporter1 family outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Magnesium transporter1 family in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Magnesium transporter1 family means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Magnesium transporter1 family in simple terms?

Why does Magnesium transporter1 family matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Magnesium transporter1 family?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Magnesium transporter1 family.