SLC39A6
Description
The SLC39A6 (solute carrier family 39 member 6) is a protein-coding gene located on chromosome 18.
Zinc transporter ZIP6 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SLC39A6 gene. Zinc is an essential cofactor for hundreds of enzymes. It is involved in protein, nucleic acid, carbohydrate, and lipid metabolism, as well as in the control of gene transcription, growth, development, and differentiation.
Zinc-influx transporter which plays a role in zinc homeostasis and in the induction of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) (PubMed:27274087, PubMed:18272141, PubMed:21422171, PubMed:34394081, PubMed:23919497, PubMed:12839489). When associated with SLC39A10, the heterodimer formed by SLC39A10 and SLC39A6 mediates cellular zinc uptake to trigger cells to undergo epithelial- to- mesenchymal transition (EMT) (PubMed:27274087). The SLC39A10-SLC39A6 heterodimer also controls NCAM1 phosphorylation and its integration into focal adhesion complexes during EMT (By similarity). Zinc influx inactivates GSK3B, enabling unphosphorylated SNAI1 in the nucleus to down-regulate adherence genes such as CDH1, causing loss of cell adherence (PubMed:23919497). In addition, the SLC39A10-SLC39A6 heterodimer plays an essentiel role in initiating mitosis by importing zinc into cells to initiate a pathway resulting in the onset of mitosis (PubMed:32797246). Participates in the T-cell receptor signaling regulation by mediating cellular zinc uptake into activated lymphocytes (PubMed:30552163, PubMed:21422171, PubMed:34394081). Regulates the zinc influx necessary for proper meiotic progression to metaphase II (MII) that allows the oocyte-to-egg transition (PubMed:25143461). {ECO:0000250|UniProtKB:Q8C145, ECO:0000269|PubMed:12839489, ECO:0000269|PubMed:18272141, ECO:0000269|PubMed:21422171, ECO:0000269|PubMed:23919497, ECO:0000269|PubMed:25143461, ECO:0000269|PubMed:27274087, ECO:0000269|PubMed:30552163, ECO:0000269|PubMed:32797246, ECO:0000269|PubMed:34394081}.
SLC39A6 is also known as LIV-1, LIV1, ZIP6.
