13.10
Glucose being a hydrophilic molecule, cannot diffuse through the cells' hydrophobic lipid bilayer.
Therefore, it is transported through specific membrane transport proteins called glucose transporters.
There are two main types of glucose transporters: facilitated diffusion glucose transporters—GLUTs and sodium-glucose linked transporters—SGLTs.
GLUTs are uniporters that allow the facilitated diffusion of single solute glucose from a region of higher to lower concentration.
A human body has 14 different types of GLUTs, named GLUT 1 to GLUT 14.
For example, GLUT 4 is found in cardiac muscles and skeletal muscles. It is also called the 'insulin‐responsive glucose transporter' as it transports glucose into cells in response to the insulin hormone.
The second type of glucose transporter, SGLTs are symporters. A human body has six SGLT protein isoforms.
The most extensively studied, SGLT1, is expressed in the small intestine. Here, it simultaneously transports two sodium ions from higher to lower concentrations and a glucose molecule against its concentration gradient.
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