Identification of a novel glucose transporter-like protein—GLUT-12

Facilitative glucose transporters exhibit variable hexose affinity and tissue-specific expression. These characteristics contribute to specialized metabolic properties of cells. Here we describe the characterization of a novel glucose transporter-like molecule, GLUT-12. GLUT-12 was identified in MCF-7 breast cancer cells by homology to the insulin-regulatable glucose transporter GLUT-4. The GLUT-12 cDNA encodes 617 amino acids, which possess features essential for sugar transport. Di-leucine motifs are present in NH2 and COOH termini at positions similar to the GLUT-4 FQQI and LL targeting motifs. GLUT-12 exhibits 29% amino acid identity with GLUT-4 and 40% to the recently described GLUT-10. Like GLUT-10, a large extracellular domain is predicted between transmembrane domains 9 and 10. Genomic organization of GLUT-12 is highly conserved with GLUT-10 but distinct from GLUTs 1–5. Immunofluorescence showed that, in the absence of insulin, GLUT-12 is localized to the perinuclear region in MCF-7 cells. Immunoblotting demonstrated GLUT-12 expression in skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, and small intestine. Thus GLUT-12 is potentially part of a second insulin-responsive glucose transport system.