title: The SLC45 gene family of putative sugar transporters.
abstract: According to the classic point of view, transport of sugars across animal plasma membranes is performed by two families of transporters. Secondary active transport occurs via Na(+) symporters of the SLC5 gene family, while passive transport occurs via facilitative transporters of the SLC2 family. In recent years a new family appeared in the scenery which was called the SLC45 gene family of putative sugar transporters, mainly because of obvious similarities to plant sucrose transporters. The SLC45 family consists of only four members that have been denominated A1-A4. These members apparently have counterparts in all vertebrates. Moreover, their amino acid sequences reveal close homologies also to respective invertebrate proteins such as a recently detected sucrose transporter in Drosophila, and suggest a phylogenetic relationship also to corresponding proteins from plants, fungi and bacteria. This minireview describes the molecular features of its members with a focus on their possible role as sugar transporters.
authors.affiliation: University of Osnabrück, Faculty of Biology and Chemistry, Department of Animal Physiology, Barbarastrasse 11, 49076 Osnabrück, Germany. vitavska@biologie.uni-osnabrueck.de
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vitavska
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wieczorek
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009004:Monosaccharide Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009005:Monosaccharides / Q000378:metabolism; D005810:Multigene Family / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D011487:Protein Conformation; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009004:Monosaccharide Transport Proteins; D009005:Monosaccharides; C551031:SLC45a3 protein, human