Facilitative glucose transporters: an expanding family

Abstract

The uptake of glucose into most eukaryotic cells is accomplished by a carrier-mediated transport system, facilitative diffusion, which transports glucose down its chemical gradient in a stereospecific manner1. Recent studies have shown that facilitative transport of glucose across the plasma membrane is mediated by a family of structurally related proteins. This review summarizes the structural and functional features of the family of facilitative glucose transporters. © 1990.