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Description

GLUTs (Glucose transporters) are a family of integral membrane proteins that facilitative glucose uptake by cells. They are integral membrane glycoproteins involved in transporting glucose into most cells. Seven types of glucose transport carrier proteins, designated as GLUT 1 to 7, facilitate glucose transport across the cell membrane. Molecular cloning of glucose transporters have identified a family of closely related genes that encode at least 7 proteins exhibiting high degree of amino acid homology (45% to 65%), all in the molecular weight range of 40 to 60 kDa. GLUT1 functions in constitutive or basal glucose uptake in adult tissues and is the predominant glucose transporter in embryonic and fetal tissues. It has two forms, a 55 kDa and a 45 kDa. The 55 kDa form of GLUT1 regulates import of glucose from blood to brain across the endothelial cells of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), whereas the 45 kDa form of GLUT1 predominantly regulates nonvascular glial glucose uptake.