Understanding the molecular mechanisms of Zip7 action will provide novel opportunities to target this transporter therapeutically for the treatment of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
We propose ZIP6 and ZIP7 are key functional orthologues in human and rodent β-cells and highlight these zinc importers as important targets for exploring associations between zinc status and normal physiology of β-cells and their decline in Type 2 Diabetes.
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 12-week trial in postmenopausal women (n=48) with Type 2 DM we investigated the effects of supplementation with zinc (40mg/d) and flaxseed oil (FSO; 2g/d) on the gene expression of zinc transporters (ZnT1, ZnT5, ZnT6, ZnT7, ZnT8, Zip1, Zip3, Zip7, and Zip10) and metallothionein (MT-1A, and MT-2A), and markers of glycemic control (glucose, insulin, glycosylated hemoglobin [HbA1c]).