STRUCTURE DETERMINATION OF TRANSMEMBRANE CARBOHYDRATE TRANSPORTER PROTEINS

这个子项目是许多利用资源的研究子项目之一 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。子项目的主要支持 而子项目的主要调查员可能是由其他来源提供的， 包括其它NIH来源。 列出的子项目总成本可能 代表子项目使用的中心基础设施的估计数量， NCRR赠款不直接向子项目或子项目工作人员提供资金。 本项目的目标是确定葡萄糖转运蛋白（GLUT或SLC 2）功能的结构基础。GLUT是跨膜蛋白，其跨细胞膜转运碳水化合物（葡萄糖、果糖等），活细胞的主要能量来源。迄今为止鉴定的14种人GLUT具有相似的序列，但具有不同的底物特异性和组织分布。 GLUT 2、4和5的活性或/和定位在糖尿病中受到影响。 GLUT的配体用于癌症的诊断成像，并正在成为治疗人类癌症的新替代品。 尽管GLUT的重要性是压倒一切的，但对于任何人葡萄糖转运蛋白或其同源物都没有三维结构信息。确定任何GLUT的3D结构将是这一基本运输系统研究的重大突破，并将开辟新的研究途径。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. The goal of this project is to determine the structural basis of glucose transporters (GLUTs or SLC2) function. GLUTs are transmembrane proteins that transport carbohydrates (glucose, fructose and others), major energy sources for living cells, across cell membranes. Fourteen human GLUTs indentified so far share similar sequences, but have different substrate specificity and tissue distribution. The activity or/and localization of GLUT2, 4 and 5 are affected in diabetes. Ligands of GLUTs are used in diagnostic imaging of cancers and are emerging as new alternatives in the treatment of human cancers. Despite the overriding importance of GLUTs, there is no three dimensional structure information available for any of the human glucose transporters or for their homologues. Determining the 3D structure of any GLUT will be a remarkable breakthrough in the study of this fundamental transport system and will open new research avenues.