Engel Andreas, Fujiyoshi Yoshinori, Gonen Tamir, Walz Thomas
Maurice E. Mueller Institute, University of Basel, Biozentrum, Klingelberstrasse 70, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland.
Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2008 Apr;18(2):229-35. doi: 10.1016/j.sbi.2007.11.003. Epub 2008 Jan 14.
Aquaporins (AQPs) are a family of ubiquitous membrane channels that conduct water and solutes across membranes. This review focuses on AQP0 and AQP4, which in addition to forming water channels also appear to play a role in cell adhesion. We discuss the recently determined structures of the membrane junctions mediated by these two AQPs, the mechanisms that regulate junction formation, and evidence that supports a role for AQP0 and AQP4 in cell adhesion.
水通道蛋白(AQPs)是一类广泛存在的膜通道蛋白家族,可介导水和溶质跨膜转运。本综述聚焦于水通道蛋白0(AQP0)和水通道蛋白4(AQP4),它们除了形成水通道外,似乎还在细胞黏附中发挥作用。我们讨论了最近确定的由这两种水通道蛋白介导的膜连接结构、调节连接形成的机制,以及支持AQP0和AQP4在细胞黏附中发挥作用的证据。