Acts as a chaperone that facilitates biogenesis and trafficking of functional transporter heteromers to the plasma membrane . Associates with SLC7A9 to form a functional transporter complex that mediates the electrogenic exchange between cationic amino acids and neutral amino acids, with a stoichiometry of 1:1. SLC7A9-SLC3A1 transporter has system b(0,+)-like activity with high affinity for extracellular cationic amino acids and L-cystine and lower affinity for intracellular neutral amino acids. Substrate exchange is driven by high concentration of intracellular neutral amino acids and the intracellular reduction of L-cystine to L-cysteine. SLC7A9-SLC3A1 acts as a major transporter for reabsorption of L-cystine and dibasic amino acids across the brush border membrane in early proximal tubules . Associates with SLC7A13 to form a functional complex that transports anionic and neutral amino acids via exchange or facilitated diffusion. SLC7A13-SLC3A1 may act as a major transporter for L-cystine in late proximal tubules, ensuring its reabsorption from the luminal fluid in exchange for cytosolic L-glutamate or L-aspartate.