Aquaporins are proteins in cell membranes that regulate the movement of water and some solutes in and out of cells. They were discovered by Peter Agre in 1992 and are implicated in human diseases. There are currently 13 known aquaporins in animals and they are also found in plants.
An aquaporin is a specialized protein located in the cell membrane of cells in the body. It forms the mechanism responsible for pumping water in and out of the cell as needed. Aquaporins are part of the large family of major intrinsic proteins, proteins that form pores or channels in the cell membrane and work to regulate the composition of the cell’s interior.
Aquaporin was discovered by Peter Agre of Johns Hopkins University in 1992. Agre won the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery. He discovered aquaporins by accident during a study of Rh blood group antigen, confirming the scientific community’s long-standing suspicions that there is a mechanism for transporting water across the cell membrane.
Aquaporins conduct water in and out of the cell, but prevent the movement of ions and other solutes through the cell wall. A specialized form of aquaporin, called aquaglyceroporin, allows the movement of some solutes in and out of the cell, but like normal aquaporins, it does not allow the passage of charged particles or ions. Some solutes that aquaglyceroporins allow to cross the cell membrane are ammonia, carbon dioxide and urea. The types of solutes allowed by aquaporins depend on the size of the protein channel.
There are currently 13 known aquaporins in animals, six of which are found in the kidney. Biologists suspect there are many more yet to be discovered. Plants also have aquaporins, which are integral to the transport of water from the soil and through roots to various plant structures.
Since their discovery, aquaporins have been found to be implicated in a number of human diseases. If they could be manipulated, they could even hold the key to curing some medical problems, such as fluid retention resulting from a heart attack or stroke. Aquaporin mutations and deficiencies can also lead to disease. Hereditary diabetes insipidus, a disorder characterized by thirst and excessive urination, is due, for example, to a mutation in the aquaporin. Devic’s disease, also called neuromyelitis optica, an autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation of the optic nerve and spinal cord, is due to autoimmune reactions against an aquaporin.
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