Abstract
As an essential trace element, zinc is required by the human body, and it is associated with various physiological activities. It can impact body development, brain function, bone growth, reproductive health and immune function. Zinc deficiency can cause many diseases, whereas excess zinc can lead to cytotoxicity as well. Thus, in the human body, it is significant to sustain zinc homeostasis. Zinc transporter protein (ZnT) is reported to take responsibility for zinc transport from cytoplasm to extracellular or organelle. It includes nine family members, and they are widely localized in diverse tissues. Furthermore, some ZnTs function not only in zinc transport but also in modulating as well. Besides, ZnTs are shown to be involved with the occurrence and development of several diseases, including transient neonatal zinc deficiency (TNZD), Parkinson’s disease (PD) and others. This paper will review the molecular characteristics of ZnTs and their recent research progress on diseases, which may offer new insight into treatment.
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