Role of zinc transporter family in pancreatic cancer

As an essential trace element in organisms, Zn2+ is involved in the formation of protein structure and as a coenzyme factor affects cell homeostasis. The imbalance of Zn2+ homeostasis is closely related to the occurrence and metastasis of pancreatic cancer. Zn2+ homeostasis is regulated by two zinc transporter families, ZIP and ZnT, which mediate the processes of cell proliferation, differentiation and death. The ZIP protein family is mainly involved in DNA damage repair, cellular immunity, exosome secretion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) processes through RAS/RREB1 and cAMP/JAK/STAT signaling pathways, thereby affecting pancreatic cancer. The ZnT protein family mainly promotes the occurrence and development of pancreatic cancer through ERK, p38MAPK, NF-κB, and mTOR pathways. This review aims to provide some theoretical basis for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of pancreatic cancer.