ZRT And IRT Related Protein 2 (ZIP2)

The full-length SLC39A2 cDNA was isolated from a prostate cDNA library and encodes a deduced 309-amino acid protein. It contains 8 transmembrane domains and a potential metal binding motif containing 3 histidine residues. The 3 mammalian proteins share greater than 49% sequence similarity. When expressed in K562 cells, SLC39A2 localized to the plasma membrane.normal human prostate glandular epithelium has the unique function of accumulating high levels of zinc and that in prostate cancer this capability is lost as an early event in the development of the malignant cells. By immunohistochemistry analysis of human normal and malignant prostate tissue sections, they determined that, like SLC39A1, both SLC39A2 and SLC39A3 are downregulated in malignant cells in situ along with the depletion of zinc levels.