King L S, Yasui M, Agre P
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street, Blalock 910, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
Mol Med Today. 2000 Feb;6(2):60-5. doi: 10.1016/s1357-4310(99)01636-6.
The molecular basis of membrane water-permeability remained elusive until the recent discovery of the aquaporin water-channel proteins. The fundamental importance of these proteins is suggested by their conservation from bacteria through plants to mammals. Ten mammalian aquaporins have thus far been identified, each with a distinct distribution. In the kidney, lung, eye and brain, multiple water-channel homologs are expressed, providing a network for water transport in those locations. It is increasingly clear that alterations in aquaporin expression or function can be rate-limiting for water transport across certain membranes. Aquaporins are likely to prove central to the pathophysiology of a variety of clinical conditions from diabetes insipidus to various forms of edema and, ultimately, they could be a target for therapy in diseases of altered water homeostasis.
直到最近发现水通道蛋白水通道蛋白，膜水渗透性的分子基础仍不清楚。这些蛋白质从细菌到植物再到哺乳动物的保守性表明了它们的根本重要性。迄今为止，已鉴定出十种哺乳动物水通道蛋白，每种都有独特的分布。在肾脏、肺、眼睛和大脑中，多种水通道同源物表达，为这些部位的水运输提供了一个网络。越来越清楚的是，水通道蛋白表达或功能的改变可能是某些膜上水运输的限速因素。水通道蛋白可能被证明是从尿崩症到各种形式水肿等多种临床病症病理生理学的核心，最终，它们可能成为水稳态改变疾病治疗的靶点。
