Background

Zinc, an essential element required for cell proliferation and differentiation, plays a role in a diverse array of cellular functions (such as neuroregulation) and acts as a cofactor for numerous enzymes and transcription factors. The zinc transporter (ZnT) family regulates the supply of zinc within cells, and its members commonly contain six membrane-spanning domains, a large histidine-rich intracellular loop and a C-terminal tail. ZnT-8 (zinc transporter 8), also known as SLC30A8 (solute carrier family 30 member 8), is a 369 amino acid multi-pass membrane protein that belongs to the ZnT family and is a major autoantigen in type I diabetes. Expressed specifically in pancreas islet cells, ZnT-8 functions as a zinc-efflux transporter that facilitates the accumulation of zinc in intracellular vesicles and is essential for the zinc-dependent maturation of Insulin within pancreatic cells. Multiple isoforms of ZnT-8 exist due to alternative splicing events.