Kambe Taiho
Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University.
Nihon Eiseigaku Zasshi. 2013;68(2):92-102. doi: 10.1265/jjh.68.92.
In recent years, a number of mammalian zinc transporters have been molecularly characterized. This has brought about major advances in our understanding of the tight regulation of cellular zinc homeostasis and the pivotal roles zinc transporters play in a variety of biological events. Mammalian zinc transporters are classified into two families: the ZRT, IRT-like protein (ZIP) family and the Zn transporter (ZnT) family. The ZIP family consists of 14 members and facilitates zinc influx into the cytosol from the extracellular and intracellular compartments. The ZnT family consists of 9 members and facilitates zinc efflux from the cytosol to the extracellular and intracellular compartments. Coordinated zinc mobilization across the cellular membrane by both transporter families is indispensable for diverse physiological functions. In this review, the features of the ZIP and ZnT families are briefly reviewed from the perspective of zinc physiology, with emphasis on recent progress.
近年来，一些哺乳动物锌转运体已得到分子层面的表征。这使我们在理解细胞锌稳态的严格调控以及锌转运体在各种生物学事件中所起的关键作用方面取得了重大进展。哺乳动物锌转运体分为两个家族：ZRT、IRT样蛋白（ZIP）家族和锌转运体（ZnT）家族。ZIP家族由14个成员组成，促进锌从细胞外和细胞内区室流入细胞质。ZnT家族由9个成员组成，促进锌从细胞质流出到细胞外和细胞内区室。这两个转运体家族协同进行跨细胞膜的锌转运对于多种生理功能而言不可或缺。在本综述中，将从锌生理学的角度简要回顾ZIP和ZnT家族的特征，并重点介绍近期的进展。
