SLC39A6 (ZIP6) Gene
Solute Carrier Family 39 Member 6: Zinc Transporter and Cancer Biomarker
Gene Information Card
| Symbol | SLC39A6 |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Solute Carrier Family 39 Member 6 |
| Gene Type | Protein coding |
| Chromosomal Location | 18q12.2 |
| NCBI Gene ID | 25800 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/25800 |
| Ensembl ID | ENSG00000141424 |
| UniProt ID | Q13433 |
| OMIM ID | 608730 |
| HGNC ID | 18607 |
| Aliases | LIV-1, ZIP6 |
Description
SLC39A6 (solute carrier family 39 member 6) encodes a zinc transporter protein known as ZIP6 or LIV-1. It functions as a zinc influx transporter, importing zinc from the extracellular space into the cytoplasm. ZIP6 is involved in cellular zinc homeostasis, cell growth, and differentiation. It is highly expressed in breast cancer and has been implicated in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis. The gene is also associated with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer and is a target of STAT3 signaling.
Disease Associations
| Disease category | Pathophysiological mechanism | Genomic evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Breast Cancer | Overexpression of ZIP6 promotes zinc influx, activating EMT and metastasis via STAT3 signaling. | Multiple studies; COSMIC; ClinVar |
| Prostate Cancer | Altered zinc transport may contribute to malignant progression. | COSMIC; literature |
| Melanoma | ZIP6 expression correlates with invasive phenotype. | COSMIC; literature |
Expression Profile
Tissue Expression
| Tissue | nTPM | level |
|---|---|---|
| Breast | High | nTPM: 50-100 |
| Prostate | Medium | nTPM: 20-50 |
| Skin | Medium | nTPM: 15-40 |
| Placenta | High | nTPM: 60-90 |
| Brain | Low | nTPM: <10 |
Cell Line Expression
| Cell Line | nTPM | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MCF7 (breast cancer) | High | Estrogen receptor-positive line |
| MDA-MB-231 (breast cancer) | Medium | Triple-negative line |
| LNCaP (prostate cancer) | Medium | Androgen-sensitive |
| HEK293 (embryonic kidney) | Low | Normal line |
Data source：Human Protein Atlas（proteinatlas.org）
Mutations & Variants
Hotspot Mutations
| Variant | Type | Frequency | Functional Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| c.1124G>A (p.Arg375His) | Missense | <0.1% | Unknown; rare variant |
| c.1520C>T (p.Thr507Met) | Missense | <0.1% | Unknown; rare variant |
Mutation functional classification
Loss of Function (LOF)
No confirmed loss-of-function mutations reported in ClinVar or COSMIC.
Gain of Function (GOF)
Overexpression in breast cancer suggests gain-of-function in tumor progression.
Dominant Negative (DN)
Not described.
View complete mutation data：
Gene Ontology (GO)
| • Zinc ion transmembrane transporter activity (GO:0005385) | • Cellular zinc ion homeostasis (GO:0006882) |
| • Plasma membrane (GO:0005886) | • Integral component of membrane (GO:0016021) |
| • Response to zinc ion (GO:0010043) |
Pathways
• Zinc homeostasis
• Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)
• STAT3 signaling pathway
Protein Summary
ZIP6 (SLC39A6) is a transmembrane protein of 755 amino acids with eight transmembrane domains. It functions as a zinc importer, localized to the plasma membrane and intracellular vesicles. The protein contains a HEXXH zinc-binding motif and is regulated by STAT3. ZIP6 is N-glycosylated and undergoes proteolytic processing. Its expression is induced by estrogen and zinc deficiency. In cancer, ZIP6 promotes zinc uptake, leading to activation of EMT transcription factors such as SNAI1 and ZEB1, facilitating metastasis.
Related Services
Related Products
| Product name | Cat.No. | Species | Gene ID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLC39A6 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line | EDC09876 | Human | 25800 | Details Get a Quote |
| SLC39A6 Knockout A-549 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ19817 | Human | 25800 | Details Get a Quote |
| SLC39A6 Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ19818 | Human | 25800 | Details Get a Quote |
| SLC39A6 Knockout HeLa Cell Line | EDJ-KQ19819 | Human | 25800 | Details Get a Quote |
