Li Chunling, Wang Weidong
Institute of Hypertension, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, 74# Zhongshan Er Road, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2017;969:1-34. doi: 10.1007/978-94-024-1057-0_1.
Aquaporins (AQPs ) are a family of membrane water channels that basically function as regulators of intracellular and intercellular water flow. To date, thirteen AQPs , which are distributed widely in specific cell types in various organs and tissues, have been characterized in humans. Four AQP monomers, each of which consists of six membrane-spanning alpha-helices that have a central water-transporting pore, assemble to form tetramers, forming the functional units in the membrane. AQP facilitates osmotic water transport across plasma membranes and thus transcellular fluid movement. The cellular functions of aquaporins are regulated by posttranslational modifications , e.g. phosphorylation, ubiquitination, glycosylation, subcellular distribution, degradation, and protein interactions. Insight into the molecular mechanisms responsible for regulated aquaporin trafficking and synthesis is proving to be fundamental for development of novel therapeutic targets or reliable diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers.
水通道蛋白（AQPs）是一类膜水通道家族，其基本功能是作为细胞内和细胞间水流的调节因子。迄今为止，人类已鉴定出13种水通道蛋白，它们广泛分布于各种器官和组织的特定细胞类型中。四个水通道蛋白单体，每个单体由六个跨膜α螺旋组成，这些螺旋具有一个中央水运输孔，它们组装形成四聚体，构成膜中的功能单元。水通道蛋白促进水通过质膜的渗透运输，从而实现跨细胞液的流动。水通道蛋白的细胞功能受翻译后修饰的调节，例如磷酸化、泛素化、糖基化、亚细胞分布、降解和蛋白质相互作用。深入了解负责调节水通道蛋白运输和合成的分子机制，对于开发新的治疗靶点或可靠的诊断和预后生物标志物至关重要。
