xCT Recombinant Rabbit mAb (S-5531)

xCT, also known as solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11), is a 12-transmembrane cystine/glutamate antiporter belonging to the heterodimeric amino acid transporter family. Functionally, it requires covalent binding via a disulfide bond to its light chain subunit chaperone CD98 (SLC3A2) to form a complete transport complex, which exchanges intracellular glutamate for extracellular cystine at a 1:1 ratio. Once inside the cell, cystine is rapidly reduced to two cysteine molecules, serving as the rate-limiting precursor for the synthesis of glutathione (GSH)—the most important intracellular antioxidant. Consequently, xCT serves as a central regulatory node for maintaining cellular redox homeostasis and combating oxidative stress by supplying GSH to neutralize reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby protecting cells from ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death—indeed, inhibition of xCT activity represents the most classic pathway for inducing ferroptosis. Moreover, xCT expression is precisely regulated by transcription factors such as nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2), and is significantly upregulated in various cancers to meet the high GSH demands of rapidly proliferating tumor cells, thereby conferring resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Given its multifaceted critical roles in antioxidant defense, ferroptosis regulation, and tumor progression, xCT has emerged as an important drug target for oxidative stress-related diseases including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders (such as Parkinson's disease), and ischemia-reperfusion injury.