The carbohydrate D-glucose is the main source of energy in living organisms. In contrast to animals, as well as most fungi, bacteria, and archaea, plants are capable to synthesize a surplus of sugars characterizing them as autothrophic organisms. Thus, plants are de facto the source of all food on earth, either directly or indirectly via feed to livestock. Glucose is stored as polymeric glucan, in animals as glycogen and in plants as starch. Despite serving a general source for metabolic energy and energy storage, glucose is the main building block for cellulose synthesis and represents the metabolic starting point of carboxylate- and amino acid synthesis. Finally yet importantly, glucose functions as signalling molecule conveying the plant metabolic status for adjustment of growth, development, and survival. Therefore, cell-to-cell and long-distance transport of photoassimilates/sugars throughout the plant body require the fine-tuned activity of sugar transporters facilitating the transport across membranes. The functional plant counterparts of the animal sodium/glucose transporters (SGLTs) are represented by the proton-coupled sugar transport proteins (STPs) of the plant monosaccharide transporter(-like) family (MST). In the framework of this special issue on “Glucose Transporters in Health and Disease,” this review gives an overview of the function and structure of plant STPs in comparison to the respective knowledge obtained with the animal Na⁺-coupled glucose transporters (SGLTs).

碳水化合物D-葡萄糖是生物体的主要能量来源。与动物以及大多数真菌、细菌和古生菌相比，植物能够合成过量的糖，将它们表征为自生生物。因此，植物实际上是地球上所有食物的来源，无论是直接或间接通过牲畜饲料。葡萄糖以聚合葡聚糖的形式储存，在动物中以糖原的形式储存，在植物中以淀粉的形式储存。尽管作为代谢能量和能量储存的一般来源，葡萄糖是纤维素合成的主要组成部分，代表了羧酸盐和氨基酸合成的代谢起点。最后但重要的是，葡萄糖作为信号分子传递植物代谢状态以调整生长、发育和生存。所以，光同化物/糖在整个植物体内的细胞间和长距离运输需要糖转运蛋白的微调活性，以促进跨膜运输。动物钠/葡萄糖转运蛋白 (SGLT) 的功能性植物对应物由植物单糖转运蛋白 (样) 家族 (MST) 的质子偶联糖转运蛋白 (STP) 代表。在本期“健康和疾病中的葡萄糖转运蛋白”特刊的框架内，这篇综述概述了植物 STP 的功能和结构，并与动物钠获得的相应知识进行了比较。动物钠/葡萄糖转运蛋白 (SGLT) 的功能性植物对应物由植物单糖转运蛋白 (样) 家族 (MST) 的质子偶联糖转运蛋白 (STP) 代表。在本期“健康和疾病中的葡萄糖转运蛋白”特刊的框架内，这篇综述概述了植物 STP 的功能和结构，并与动物钠获得的相应知识进行了比较。动物钠/葡萄糖转运蛋白 (SGLT) 的功能性植物对应物由植物单糖转运蛋白 (样) 家族 (MST) 的质子偶联糖转运蛋白 (STP) 代表。在本期“健康和疾病中的葡萄糖转运蛋白”特刊的框架内，这篇综述概述了植物 STP 的功能和结构，并与动物钠获得的相应知识进行了比较。⁺ -偶联葡萄糖转运蛋白 (SGLT)。