Solute Carrier Family 39, Member 6 (SLC39A6)

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. SLC39A6 belongs to a subfamily of proteins that show structural characteristics of zinc transporters. LIV1 contains an N-terminal cleavable signal peptide, a long extracellular N terminus, 6 to 8 transmembrane domains, and a short extracellular C terminus. It has a conserved histidine residue present in ZIP-type zinc transporters, a consensus catalytic zinc-binding motif found in some metalloproteases, and other histidine-rich areas, including several tandem histidine-rich repeats. LIV1 has several protein degradation motifs, including a PEST sequence and a putative ubiquitin pathway degradation signal.