Zinc transporter proteins (Zrt), or simply zinc transporters, are
membrane transport proteins of the
solute carrier family which control the
membrane transport
In cellular biology, membrane transport refers to the collection of mechanisms that regulate the passage of solutes such as ions and small molecules through biological membranes, which are lipid bilayers that contain proteins embedded in them. Th ...
of
zinc and regulate its
intracellular and
cytoplasmic concentrations.
They include two major groups: (1) the zinc transporter (ZnT) or solute carrier 30 (SLC30) family, which controls the
efflux
Efflux may refer to:
* Efflux (microbiology), a mechanism responsible for moving compounds out of cells
* e-flux, a publishing platform and archive
See also
* Efflux time, part of a measure of paint viscosity
* Flux (biology)
In general, flux ...
of zinc from the cytoplasm out of the cell and from the cytoplasm into
vesicles; and (2) the zinc importer, Zrt- and Irt-like protein (ZIP), or solute carrier 39A (SLC39A) family, which controls the
influx of zinc into the cytoplasm from outside the cell and from vesicles.
At least one zinc transporter,
ZIP9, is also a
G protein-coupled receptor and
membrane androgen receptor.
Families
ZnT (SLC30)
Members:
ZnT1,
ZnT2,
ZnT3,
ZnT4,
ZnT5,
ZnT6,
ZnT7,
ZnT8,
ZnT9,
ZnT10
Bacterial members of the family are known to increase tolerance to high salt concentrations.
ZntB Zinc Transporter Protein
Unlike some other zinc transporter proteins, the mechanism of how Zn
2+ is transported via ZntB is not well understood. However, scientists have been able to speculate that the transport of Zn
2+ is related to pH gradient and the electrostatics of the protein membrane.
ZIP (SLC39)
ZIP1
Zinc transporter ZIP1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SLC39A1'' gene.
The protein ZIP1 is responsible for the active transport of zinc into prostate cells. In many prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Pros ...
,
ZIP2,
ZIP3,
ZIP4,
ZIP5,
ZIP6,
ZIP7 (
''Catsup''),
ZIP8,
ZIP9,
ZIP10,
ZIP11,
ZIP12,
ZIP13,
ZIP14
The structure of a bacterial ZIP protein has been resolved.
References
Solute carrier family
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