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Compare/Contrast-Irt-Related Proteins

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The body of an adult human contains almost 2-3 g of zinc. However, only 0,1% of it is found in the serum. As for other transition metals, circulating zinc is not free, but is complexed to proteins that maintain it in a non-reactive form in order to prevent their toxicity: almost 80% is bound to albumin and the remaining 20% is bound to α2-macroglobulin (Kambe et al., 2015). As zinc is required for many functions in living organisms, its transport across biological membranes is mediated by several proteins that can be classified in two major families of transporters: the SLC39 (Zrt-Irt-related Proteins, ZIPs) family, with 13 members identified, and the SLC30 (Zn-transporters, ZnTs) family, with 10 members (Fukada et al., 2011; Kambe et al.,
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