GLut1
GLUT1 is a facilitative glucose transporter responsible for constitutive or basal glucose uptake. It has a very broad substrate specificity meaning that it can transport a wide range of aldoses including pentoses and hexoses. It interacts with GIPC and STOM when endocytosed to prevent degradation in lysosomes and to promote recycling in the plasma membrane. Erythrocytes require a constant supply of glucose from the blood plasma to function properly. GLUT1 delivers this glucose.
SLC2A1 is the gene that encodes the major glucose transporter in the mammalian blood-brain barrier. The encoded protein is found
primarily in the cell membrane and on the cell surface, where it can also function as a receptor for human T-cell
leukemia virus (HTLV) I and II.
function
GLUT1 behaves as a Michaelis-Menten enzyme and contains 12 membrane-spanning alpha helices, each containing 20 amino acid residues. A helical wheel analysis shows that the membrane spanning alpha helices are amphipathic, with one side being polar and the other side hydrophobic. Six of these membrane spanning helices are believed to bind together in the membrane to create a polar channel in the center through which glucose can traverse, with the hydrophobic regions on the outside of the channel adjacent to the fatty acid tails of the membrane.
The Ubiquitous Glucose Transporter GLUT-1 Is a Receptor for HTLV
CELL Volume, 115 Issue 4, 14 november 2003
The paper states that the human T cell leukemia virus (HTLV) is associated with leukemia and neurological syndromes. By interacting with GLUT1, HTLV-1 and -2 1, Leukemia can be spread throughout the body from a dysfunctional GLUT1.
Glut1 Deficiency
GLUT1 deficiency syndrome is a disorder affecting the nervous system that can have a variety of neurological signs and symptoms. Approximately 90 percent of affected individuals have a form of the disorder often referred to as common GLUT1 deficiency syndrome. These individuals generally have frequent seizures (epilepsy) beginning in the first months of life. In newborns, the first sign of the disorder may be involuntary eye movements that are rapid and irregular. Babies with common GLUT1 deficiency syndrome have a normal head size at birth, but growth of the brain and skull is often slow, which can result in an abnormally small head size (microcephaly).
