Zinc transporter proteins (Zrt), or simplyzinc transporters, aremembrane transport proteins of thesolute carrier family which control themembrane transport ofzinc and regulate itsintracellular andcytoplasmic concentrations.[1] They include two major groups: (1) the zinc transporter (ZnT) or solute carrier 30 (SLC30) family, which controls theefflux of zinc from the cytoplasm out of the cell and from the cytoplasm intovesicles; and (2) the zinc importer, Zrt- and Irt-like protein (ZIP), or solute carrier 39A (SLC39A) family, which controls theinflux of zinc into the cytoplasm from outside the cell and from vesicles.[1]
At least one zinc transporter,ZIP9, is also aG protein-coupled receptor andmembrane androgen receptor.[2]
| Cation efflux (diffusion facilitator) protein | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 ZntB Transporter Protein Structure: The left side of the image shows the full-length ZntB protein structure, without the presence of zinc. The right side shows the cytoplasmic domain of the protein and the apparent conformation change undergone by the protein to accommodate zinc transport. The conformation change is believed to be necessary for zinc ion transport. The chlorine ions (illustrated as the orange circles) support the conclusion that a change in the electrostatics and pH are necessary for transport.[3][4] | |||||||||
| Identifiers | |||||||||
| Symbol | Cation_efflux | ||||||||
| Pfam | PF01545 | ||||||||
| InterPro | IPR002524 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
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.
Unlike some other zinc transporter proteins, the mechanism of how Zn2+ is transported via ZntB is not well understood. However, scientists have been able to speculate that the transport of Zn2+ is related to pH gradient and the electrostatics of the protein membrane.[3][4]
| Zinc/iron permease | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identifiers | |||||||||
| Symbol | ZIP | ||||||||
| Pfam | PF02535 | ||||||||
| InterPro | IPR003689 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
ZIP1,ZIP2,ZIP3,ZIP4,ZIP5,ZIP6,ZIP7 (Catsup),ZIP8,ZIP9,ZIP10,ZIP11,ZIP12,ZIP13,ZIP14
The structure of a bacterial ZIP protein has been resolved.[5]
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