{"gene":"TG_233540","gene_symbol":"AMT1","run_date":"2026-09-08T12:58:24","timeline":{"discoveries":[{"year":2024,"finding":"AMT1 (apicomplexan monocarboxylate transporter 1) was identified as an apicoplast transporter in Toxoplasma gondii using TurboID proximity labeling and genome engineering; protein depletion of AMT1 demonstrated it is critical for parasite growth and is associated with biosynthesis of isoprenoids and fatty acids within the apicoplast.","method":"TurboID proximity labeling, genome engineering, protein depletion (conditional knockdown), metabolite analyses","journal":"eLife","confidence":"Medium","confidence_rationale":"Tier 2 / Moderate — TurboID-based identification combined with genetic depletion and metabolite analyses in a single lab, multiple orthogonal methods","pmids":["38502570"],"is_preprint":false,"attribution":[{"species":"Toxoplasma gondii","strain":""}]},{"year":2024,"finding":"AMT1 and its partner AMT2 appear to have evolved from a putative host cell that engulfed a red alga, suggesting an endosymbiotic evolutionary origin for this pair of apicoplast monocarboxylate transporters in apicomplexans.","method":"Phylogenetic/evolutionary analysis (genome engineering and comparative genomics)","journal":"eLife","confidence":"Low","confidence_rationale":"Tier 4 / Weak — evolutionary/computational inference, single study, no direct functional validation of the evolutionary origin claim","pmids":["38502570"],"is_preprint":false,"attribution":[{"species":"Toxoplasma gondii","strain":""}]}],"current_model":"AMT1 is an apicoplast-localized monocarboxylate transporter in Toxoplasma gondii that is essential for parasite growth and is functionally linked to isoprenoid and fatty acid biosynthesis within the apicoplast."},"narrative":{"mechanistic_narrative":"AMT1 (apicomplexan monocarboxylate transporter 1) is an apicoplast-localized transporter in Toxoplasma gondii required for parasite growth [PMID:38502570]. It was identified as an apicoplast protein by TurboID proximity labeling combined with genome engineering, and conditional depletion established that it is critical for parasite proliferation, with metabolite analyses linking its loss to biosynthesis of isoprenoids and fatty acids within the apicoplast [PMID:38502570]. Beyond this identification and its functional coupling to apicoplast metabolism, no further mechanistic detail on AMT1's transport substrate specificity or structure has been characterized in the available corpus.","teleology":[{"year":2024,"claim":"Whether the apicoplast possesses a dedicated monocarboxylate transporter linked to its biosynthetic output was unknown; AMT1 was identified as an apicoplast transporter essential for growth and coupled to isoprenoid and fatty acid biosynthesis, establishing a metabolic gateway function for the organelle.","evidence":"TurboID proximity labeling, genome engineering, conditional knockdown, and metabolite analyses in Toxoplasma gondii","pmids":["38502570"],"confidence":"Medium","gaps":["The specific monocarboxylate substrate(s) transported by AMT1 are not directly demonstrated","No structural model or reconstituted transport assay","Directionality of transport (import vs export) not established"],"attribution":[{"species":"Toxoplasma gondii","strain":""}]},{"year":2024,"claim":"The evolutionary origin of the AMT1/AMT2 transporter pair was addressed by phylogenetic analysis, which inferred derivation from a host cell that engulfed a red alga, consistent with an endosymbiotic origin for these apicoplast transporters.","evidence":"Phylogenetic and comparative genomic analysis in Toxoplasma gondii","pmids":["38502570"],"confidence":"Low","gaps":["Evolutionary/computational inference without direct functional validation","Functional relationship between AMT1 and AMT2 not experimentally dissected","Single-study inference"],"attribution":[{"species":"Toxoplasma gondii","strain":""}]},{"year":null,"claim":"The direct transport substrate of AMT1, its transport mechanism, and how it functionally partners with AMT2 remain unresolved.","evidence":"","pmids":[],"confidence":"Low","gaps":["No biochemical demonstration of substrate transport","No structural characterization","AMT1/AMT2 functional interplay uncharacterized"],"attribution":[{"species":"Toxoplasma gondii","strain":""}]}],"mechanism_profile":{"molecular_activity":[],"localization":[],"pathway":[],"complexes":[],"partners":["AMT2"],"other_free_text":["AMT1 depletion impairs Toxoplasma gondii growth, consistent with an essential apicoplast metabolic transport role [#0]","AMT1 and AMT2 are inferred to share an endosymbiotic (red algal) evolutionary origin [#1]"]},"strain_conflicts":[]},"prefetch_data":{},"corpus_meta":[{"pmid":"38502570","id":"PMC_38502570","title":"The Toxoplasma monocarboxylate transporters are involved in the metabolism within the apicoplast and are linked to parasite survival.","date":"2024","source":"eLife","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38502570","citation_count":12,"is_preprint":false}],"cost":{"stage1":{"model":"claude-sonnet-4-6","input_tokens":2846,"output_tokens":546,"usd":0.008364,"stage1_stop_reason":"end_turn"},"stage2":{"model":"claude-opus-4-8","input_tokens":5232,"output_tokens":1514,"usd":0.032005,"stage2_stop_reason":"end_turn"},"total_usd":0.040369,"stage1_batch_id":"msgbatch_01TEPNZ4MCzJ7xtsNwosiDRk","stage2_batch_id":"msgbatch_01FQShM7n1sfCr4pWTDShmki","note":"batch pricing = 50% of standard"},"stage1_raw":"```json\n{\n  \"discoveries\": [\n    {\n      \"year\": 2024,\n      \"finding\": \"AMT1 (apicomplexan monocarboxylate transporter 1) was identified as an apicoplast transporter in Toxoplasma gondii using TurboID proximity labeling and genome engineering; protein depletion of AMT1 demonstrated it is critical for parasite growth and is associated with biosynthesis of isoprenoids and fatty acids within the apicoplast.\",\n      \"method\": \"TurboID proximity labeling, genome engineering, protein depletion (conditional knockdown), metabolite analyses\",\n      \"journal\": \"eLife\",\n      \"confidence\": \"Medium\",\n      \"confidence_rationale\": \"Tier 2 / Moderate — TurboID-based identification combined with genetic depletion and metabolite analyses in a single lab, multiple orthogonal methods\",\n      \"pmids\": [\"38502570\"],\n      \"is_preprint\": false,\n      \"attribution\": [\n        {\"species\": \"Toxoplasma gondii\", \"strain\": \"\"}\n      ]\n    },\n    {\n      \"year\": 2024,\n      \"finding\": \"AMT1 and its partner AMT2 appear to have evolved from a putative host cell that engulfed a red alga, suggesting an endosymbiotic evolutionary origin for this pair of apicoplast monocarboxylate transporters in apicomplexans.\",\n      \"method\": \"Phylogenetic/evolutionary analysis (genome engineering and comparative genomics)\",\n      \"journal\": \"eLife\",\n      \"confidence\": \"Low\",\n      \"confidence_rationale\": \"Tier 4 / Weak — evolutionary/computational inference, single study, no direct functional validation of the evolutionary origin claim\",\n      \"pmids\": [\"38502570\"],\n      \"is_preprint\": false,\n      \"attribution\": [\n        {\"species\": \"Toxoplasma gondii\", \"strain\": \"\"}\n      ]\n    }\n  ],\n  \"current_model\": \"AMT1 is an apicoplast-localized monocarboxylate transporter in Toxoplasma gondii that is essential for parasite growth and is functionally linked to isoprenoid and fatty acid biosynthesis within the apicoplast.\"\n}\n```","stage2_raw":"{\n  \"mechanistic_narrative\": \"AMT1 (apicomplexan monocarboxylate transporter 1) is an apicoplast-localized transporter in Toxoplasma gondii required for parasite growth [#0]. It was identified as an apicoplast protein by TurboID proximity labeling combined with genome engineering, and conditional depletion established that it is critical for parasite proliferation, with metabolite analyses linking its loss to biosynthesis of isoprenoids and fatty acids within the apicoplast [#0]. Beyond this identification and its functional coupling to apicoplast metabolism, no further mechanistic detail on AMT1's transport substrate specificity or structure has been characterized in the available corpus.\",\n  \"teleology\": [\n    {\n      \"year\": 2024,\n      \"claim\": \"Whether the apicoplast possesses a dedicated monocarboxylate transporter linked to its biosynthetic output was unknown; AMT1 was identified as an apicoplast transporter essential for growth and coupled to isoprenoid and fatty acid biosynthesis, establishing a metabolic gateway function for the organelle.\",\n      \"evidence\": \"TurboID proximity labeling, genome engineering, conditional knockdown, and metabolite analyses in Toxoplasma gondii\",\n      \"pmids\": [\"38502570\"],\n      \"confidence\": \"Medium\",\n      \"gaps\": [\n        \"The specific monocarboxylate substrate(s) transported by AMT1 are not directly demonstrated\",\n        \"No structural model or reconstituted transport assay\",\n        \"Directionality of transport (import vs export) not established\"\n      ],\n      \"attribution\": [\n        {\"species\": \"Toxoplasma gondii\", \"strain\": \"\"}\n      ]\n    },\n    {\n      \"year\": 2024,\n      \"claim\": \"The evolutionary origin of the AMT1/AMT2 transporter pair was addressed by phylogenetic analysis, which inferred derivation from a host cell that engulfed a red alga, consistent with an endosymbiotic origin for these apicoplast transporters.\",\n      \"evidence\": \"Phylogenetic and comparative genomic analysis in Toxoplasma gondii\",\n      \"pmids\": [\"38502570\"],\n      \"confidence\": \"Low\",\n      \"gaps\": [\n        \"Evolutionary/computational inference without direct functional validation\",\n        \"Functional relationship between AMT1 and AMT2 not experimentally dissected\",\n        \"Single-study inference\"\n      ],\n      \"attribution\": [\n        {\"species\": \"Toxoplasma gondii\", \"strain\": \"\"}\n      ]\n    },\n    {\n      \"year\": null,\n      \"claim\": \"The direct transport substrate of AMT1, its transport mechanism, and how it functionally partners with AMT2 remain unresolved.\",\n      \"evidence\": \"\",\n      \"pmids\": [],\n      \"confidence\": \"Low\",\n      \"gaps\": [\n        \"No biochemical demonstration of substrate transport\",\n        \"No structural characterization\",\n        \"AMT1/AMT2 functional interplay uncharacterized\"\n      ],\n      \"attribution\": [\n        {\"species\": \"Toxoplasma gondii\", \"strain\": \"\"}\n      ]\n    }\n  ],\n  \"mechanism_profile\": {\n    \"molecular_activity\": [\n      {\"term_id\": \"GO:0008028\", \"supporting_discovery_ids\": [0], \"attribution\": [{\"species\": \"Toxoplasma gondii\", \"strain\": \"\"}]}\n    ],\n    \"localization\": [\n      {\"term_id\": \"GO:0020011\", \"supporting_discovery_ids\": [0], \"attribution\": [{\"species\": \"Toxoplasma gondii\", \"strain\": \"\"}]}\n    ],\n    \"pathway\": [\n      {\"term_id\": \"GO:0008299\", \"supporting_discovery_ids\": [0], \"attribution\": [{\"species\": \"Toxoplasma gondii\", \"strain\": \"\"}]},\n      {\"term_id\": \"GO:0006633\", \"supporting_discovery_ids\": [0], \"attribution\": [{\"species\": \"Toxoplasma gondii\", \"strain\": \"\"}]}\n    ],\n    \"complexes\": [],\n    \"partners\": [\"AMT2\"],\n    \"other_free_text\": [\n      \"AMT1 depletion impairs Toxoplasma gondii growth, consistent with an essential apicoplast metabolic transport role [#0]\",\n      \"AMT1 and AMT2 are inferred to share an endosymbiotic (red algal) evolutionary origin [#1]\"\n    ]\n  },\n  \"strain_conflicts\": []\n}","audit_flag":null,"strains":[{"strain":"ME49","gene_id":"TGME49_233540","name":"AMT1","product":"apicoplast monocarboxylate transporter AMT1","uniprot_acc":"S8EZ66","chromosome":"TGME49_chrVIII","start_pos":2703885},{"strain":"GT1","gene_id":"TGGT1_233540","name":null,"product":"transporter, major facilitator family protein","uniprot_acc":null,"chromosome":"TGGT1_chrVIII","start_pos":2700888},{"strain":"RH88","gene_id":"TGRH88_077530","name":null,"product":"transporter, major facilitator family protein","uniprot_acc":null,"chromosome":"CM023089","start_pos":7811265},{"strain":"VEG","gene_id":"TGVEG_233540","name":null,"product":"transporter, major facilitator family protein","uniprot_acc":"V4ZQF7","chromosome":"TGVEG_chrVIII","start_pos":2713372}]}