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Glucose Transporters

Glucose Transporters

Glucose transporters facilitate the transport of glucose across the cell membrane. In addition to glucose, some glucose transporters can also aid the movement of other hexoses such as fructose, mannose, and galactose.
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:

Membrane Proteins

Membrane Proteins

Plasma membranes have integral transmembrane proteins involved in facilitated transport. These proteins are collectively referred to as transport proteins, and they function as either channels for the material or as carriers themselves. Channel proteins have hydrophilic domains exposed to the intracellular and extracellular fluids and a hydrophilic channel through their core that provides a hydrated opening for solutes to pass through the membrane layers. Passage through the channel allows...

Glucose Absorption Into the Small Intestine

Glucose Absorption Into the Small Intestine

Complex carbohydrates consumed cannot be absorbed into the small intestine in their original form. First, they must be hydrolyzed to a monosaccharide form such as glucose or galactose. These monosaccharides are then transported across the intestinal membrane and into the blood via transcellular transport. The intestinal epithelial cells allow the movement of these monosaccharides with a defined 'entry' through membrane transporter proteins present on their apical membrane and...

Secondary Active Transport

Secondary Active Transport

One example of how cells use the energy contained in electrochemical gradients is demonstrated by glucose transport into cells. The ion vital to this process is sodium (Na+), which is typically present in higher concentrations extracellularly than in the cytosol. Such a concentration difference is due, in part, to the action of an enzyme “pump” embedded in the cellular membrane that actively expels Na+ from a cell. Importantly, as this pump contributes to the high concentration of...

Secondary Active Transport

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One example of how cells use the energy contained in electrochemical gradients is demonstrated by glucose transport into cells. The ion vital to this process is sodium (Na+), which is typically present in higher concentrations extracellularly than in the cytosol. Such a concentration difference is due, in part, to the action of an enzyme "pump" embedded in the cellular membrane that actively expels Na+ from a cell. Importantly, as this pump contributes to the high concentration of...

Phloem and Sugar Transport

Phloem and Sugar Transport

Like many living organisms, plants have tissues that specialize in specific plant functions. For example, shoots are well adapted to rapid growth, while roots are structured to acquire resources efficiently. However, sugar production is primarily restricted to the photosynthetic cells that reside in the leaves of angiosperm plants. Sugar and other resources are transported from photosynthetic tissues to other specialized tissues by a process called translocation.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 10, 2025

Characterization of Membrane Transporters by Heterologous Expression in E. coli and Production of Membrane Vesicles

Characterization of Membrane Transporters by Heterologous Expression in E. coli and Production of Membrane Vesicles

Published on: December 31, 2019

Plant glucose transporter structure and function.

Dietmar Geiger¹

¹Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology and Biophysics, Julius-von-Sachs-Institute, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, 97082, Wuerzburg, Germany. geiger@botanik.uni-wuerzburg.de.

Pflugers Archiv : European Journal of Physiology

|August 27, 2020

Summary

Plants synthesize glucose, a vital energy source and building block, stored as starch. Plant sugar transport proteins (STPs) facilitate glucose movement, analogous to animal sodium/glucose transporters (SGLTs).

Keywords:

Glucose transport Plant photoassimilate partitioning STP Sugar transport protein

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Published on: March 7, 2018

Area of Science:

Plant Physiology
Molecular Biology
Biochemistry

Background:

Plants are autotrophs, synthesizing glucose as their primary energy source.
Glucose is stored as starch and serves as a building block for cellulose and amino acids.
Glucose acts as a signaling molecule regulating plant growth and development.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the function and structure of plant sugar transport proteins (STPs).
To compare plant STPs with animal sodium/glucose transporters (SGLTs).

Main Methods:

Comparative analysis of plant and animal glucose transporter families.
Review of existing literature on sugar transport mechanisms.

Main Results:

Plant STPs are proton-coupled transporters, functionally analogous to animal SGLTs.
STPs are crucial for cell-to-cell and long-distance transport of sugars in plants.

Conclusions:

Plant STPs are essential for glucose distribution and signaling.
Understanding STPs provides insights into glucose transport across kingdoms.