Zinc homeostasis is primarily maintained in the proximal small intestine. Sophisticated transport mechanisms maintain zinc homeostasis by controlling the uptake and efflux of zinc in intestinal absorptive epithelial cells. Zrt-irt-like proteins (ZIPs) and zinc transporters (ZnTs) function in a coordinated manner to assimilate zinc from the lumen of the small intestine, subcellular compartments within the absorptive epithelial cell, and circulation. This manuscript details zinc transport mechanisms in the mammalian small intestine, along with factors that regulate these processes and consequences of dysregulated zinc transport. © 2019 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 9:59-74, 2019.
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