Zinc Biology −Approach from Zinc Transporters−

Abstract

Zinc plays an essential role in human physiology. It is required for numerous proteins for structural integrity, hundreds of enzymes for catalytic function and a number of biological processes for cellular metabolism. Intracellular zinc homeostasis is maintained in a remarkable regulation system mediated by zinc influx, efflux or intracellular storage/trafficking. The discovery of zinc transporters has contributed significantly to understanding the regulation and lead to new insight on zinc biology. This article reviews the recent progress in physiological and functional properties of zinc transporters, and discusses future perspectives based on current data.