A gene family of silicon transporters

Silicon is essential in biological systems, affecting development and cellular metabolism. In polymerized form, as silica, it is a biological material with valuable structural characteristics. Yet little is known at the molecular level about how cells transport, process and use silicon. Here we report the isolation and functional expression of complementary DNAs encoding silicon transporters from the marine diatom Cylindrotheca fusiformis. These cDNAs represent members of a previously undescribed gene family, and provide insight into the molecular basis of silicon transport across biological membranes and cellular silicon processing.