ZnT 3

A synaptic vesicle located zinc-transporter

General Information

The essential micronutrient zinc plays an important role in many biological processes like growth, development and reproduction. It is found in the active site of many enzymes, where ionization, polarization or replacement of Zn²⁺ bound water is involved in catalytic reactions. As a charged ion Zn²⁺ cannot cross biological membranes by simple diffusion and must be transported into or out of cells by specialized transport mechanisms. Four Zn transporter proteins, ZnT 1 to ZnT 4, have been cloned. All of them contain several transmembrane domains and a histidine rich intracellular loop.
In the central nervous system Zn plays important roles in synaptic function and plasticity. At synapses Zn is stored in synaptic vesicles by a mechanism depending on the integral membrane protein ZnT 3.