To better understand the role of zinc in the development and progression of prostate cancer, we investigated and compared the features of a non-tumorigenic and a tumorigenic human prostate epithelial cell lines in aspects of zinc accumulation, zinc uptake, zinc transporter expression profiles, and functional consequences of over-expression of a major prostate zinc uptake protein, ZIP1. This evidence concerns the gene SLC39A1 and Familial prostate cancer.