Cloning and characterization of a cDNA encoding the rat brain glucose-transporter protein.

Antibody raised against the human erythrocyte glucose transporter identified a recombinant lambda gt11 bacteriophage in a cDNA library prepared from immunoselected polysomal RNA from adult rat brain. The cDNA predicts a 492-amino acid protein that demonstrates 97.6% identity to the human hepatoma hexose carrier. The tissue distribution of the transporter mRNA is identical to that of immunologically identifiable protein and transport activity, except in liver in which high levels of transport are associated with little or no transporter mRNA or protein. As assayed by blot-hybridization analysis, mRNA from insulin-responsive and nonresponsive tissues are indistinguishable. These data suggest that a genetically unrelated protein is responsible for hexose transport in normal liver.