Background information
The oxidation of glucose functions as the dominant source of metabolic energy for mammals. The plasma membrane is impermeable to glucose, so the cellular uptake of this important nutrient is achieved by facultative hexose transproters (Gluts). Gluts are integral membrane proteins that transport glucose and related hexoses. Glucose binds to a Glut on one side of the membrane which provokes a conformational change causing it to release glucose to the other side. Members of the Glut family may enhance the metabolic activity of tumor cells. Glut6 is part of the third out of three classes of Gluts. Glut6 is mainly expressed in the brain, spleen and peripheral leukocytes. It appears to be regulated by subcellular redistribution, because it is targeted to intracellular compartments by di-leucine motifs, recycling itself in a Dynamin-dependent manner.
