Aquaporin-1 expressed in cultured human trabecular meshwork cells.

OBJECTIVE

To determine if aquaporin-1 could be detected in cultures of human trabecular meshwork cells.

METHODS

Using primers specific for aquaporin-1, reverse transcription combined with polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) yielded a product and its size with total RNA prepared from the human trabecular meshwork cells. SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting were also used in this study to detect the specific water channel.

RESULTS

The presence of this product and its size (298 base pairs) are consistent with that of an aquaporin-1 message in these cells. A band of 28 kD in agreement with the molecular size of aquaporin-1 was showed in a film by immunoblotting.

CONCLUSION

The presence of aquaporin-1 in human trabecular meshwork cells, the predominant cell-type of the primary outflow region of the human eye, suggests that water channels may be involved in the movement of aqueous fluid out of the eye. In addition, the existence of aquaporin-1 on cultures of human trabecular meshwork cells provides an in vitro model to study the endogenous expression of aquaporin-1 and its possible role in the regulation of aqueous outflow.