Center of Neurology and Rehabilitation, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College, 109 Xueyuan West Road, Wenzhou 325027, China.
Neurochem Int. 2010 Apr;56(5):651-4. doi: 10.1016/j.neuint.2010.01.014. Epub 2010 Feb 4.
Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is a key molecule for maintaining water and ion homeostasis associated with neuronal activity in the central nervous system, but the roles of AQP4 in adult neurogenesis remain largely unexplored. Based on preliminary evidences over the past years, AQP4 appears to emerge as an important player regulating the multiple steps of adult neurogenesis. In this mini-review, we discuss the recent findings that reveal a specific functional role of AQP4 in regulating the adult neurogenesis, including proliferation of neural progenitors/neural stem cells, fate specification and differentiation, neuronal migration, and the potential mechanisms. Further studies on the regulation of AQP4 in promoting neurogenesis will lead to better understanding of the signaling mechanisms of adult neurogenesis and potentially provide an opportunity to develop AQP4 as new drug target for neurogenesis.
水通道蛋白 4（AQP4）是一种关键分子，可维持中枢神经系统中与神经元活动相关的水和离子动态平衡，但 AQP4 在成人神经发生中的作用在很大程度上仍未得到探索。基于过去几年的初步证据，AQP4 似乎成为调节成人神经发生多个步骤的重要参与者。在这篇迷你综述中，我们讨论了最近的发现，这些发现揭示了 AQP4 在调节成人神经发生中的特定功能作用，包括神经祖细胞/神经干细胞的增殖、命运特化和分化、神经元迁移以及潜在的机制。进一步研究 AQP4 在促进神经发生中的调节作用将有助于更好地理解成人神经发生的信号机制，并可能为将 AQP4 作为神经发生的新药物靶点提供机会。
