Zinc Finger Proteins

Abstract

The ZIP family of transporters plays important roles in supplying zinc to metalloproteins. These transporters are found in organisms at all phylogenetic levels including bacteria, fungi, plants, insects, and mammals. They have many conserved sequence elements and most have eight likely transmembrane domains with similar predicted topologies. Intracellular zinc homeostasis is facilitated by both transcriptional and post-transcriptional control mechanisms that regulate ZIP transporter activity. These systems work in concert to provide a constant supply of zinc in the face of changing extracellular levels and limit overaccumulation of this potentially toxic metal.