Sugar Transporters in Polarized Epithelial Cells

Abstract

Sugar transporters are integral membrane proteins responsible for the transport of sugars across the cellular membranes. They play important roles in the transfer of sugars across different compartments separated by epithelia in the body. Preferential localization of them in specific plasma membrane domains of epithelial cells is crucial in the vectorial transfer of sugars. Modification of the transporter genes with the molecular biology techniques and visualization of the expressed gene products by immunohistochemical methods have shed light on the molecular mechanism underlying the specific localization of the transporter molecules.