Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 9, 2026

Analysis of Beta-cell Function Using Single-cell Resolution Calcium Imaging in Zebrafish Islets
Published on: July 3, 2018
Zinc transporters and their role in the pancreatic β-cell
Katleen Lemaire1, Fabrice Chimienti2, Frans Schuit1
1Gene Expression Unit, Department of Molecular Cell Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Abstract:
Zinc is an essential nutrient with tremendous importance for human health, and zinc deficiency is a severe risk factor for increased mortality and morbidity. As abnormal zinc homeostasis causes diabetes, and because the pancreatic β-cell contains the highest zinc content of any known cell type, it is of interest to know how zinc fluxes are controlled in β-cells. The understanding of zinc homeostasis has been boosted by the discovery of multiprotein families of zinc transporters, and one of them - zinc transporter 8 (ZnT8) - is abundantly and specifically expressed in the pancreatic islets of Langerhans. In this review, we discuss the evidence for a physiological role of ZnT8 in the formation of zinc-insulin crystals, the physical form in which most insulin is stored in secretory granules. In addition, we cross-examine this information, collected in genetically modified mouse strains, to the knowledge that genetic variants of the human ZnT8 gene predispose to the onset of type 2 diabetes and that epitopes on the ZnT8 protein trigger autoimmunity in patients with type 1 diabetes. The overall conclusion is that we are still at the dawn of a complete understanding of how zinc homeostasis operates in normal β-cells and how abnormalities lead to β-cell dysfunction and diabetes. (J Diabetes Invest, doi: 10.1111/j.2040-1124.2012.00199.x, 2012).
Related Concept Videos
Secondary Active Transport
Membrane Proteins
Secondary Active Transport
Glucose Transporters
Facilitated diffusion-glucose transporters (GLUTs) are encoded by the solute-linked carrier (SLC) family 2, subfamily A gene family, or SLC2A. The 14 GLUT protein members are distributed into three classes:
Glucose Absorption Into the Small Intestine
Glucose Homeostasis: Pancreatic Islets and Insulin Secretion
Insulin and C-peptide are co-secreted in...

