SLC614A is an amino acid transporter which is a member of the Solute carrier (SLC) 6 transporter family. Currently, the SLC6 family is comprised of >300 prokaryotic and eukaryotic proteins, of which 21 have been identified in humans. SLC6 members have 12 membrane spanning domains (TM) with intracellular N- and C- termini¹.

SLC614A transports all amino acids (except glutamate and aspartate) into the cell. It has a uni-directional function and it is energized by three different driving forces: a Na⁺ gradient, a Cl^- gradient and the membrane potential. These specific characteristics makes it important in the development of cancerous tumors². During carcinogenesis, the developing tumor utilizes more resources than healthy tissue and, therefore, there is an over-production of transporters for glucose and amino acids. SLC614A is uniquely suited to the biological needs of tumor cells: Theoretically, this transporter has the ability to concentrate its substrates inside the cell ~1000-fold compared to the extracellular medium, which complies with the increasing demand of the tumor cell for amino acid supply². Indeed, SLC614A has been shown to be up regulated in multiple cancer types such as, cervical cancer³, breast cancer⁴, and pancreatic cancer⁵, as well as the development of Cystic fibrosis⁶. Hence, the therapeutic potential in affecting the activity of this transporter is clinically significant.