Martinez-Ballesta M Carmen, Garcia-Ibañez Paula, Yepes-Molina Lucía, Rios Juan José, Carvajal Micaela
Group of Aquaporins, Plant Nutrition Department, Centro de Edafologia y Biologia Aplicada del Segura, CEBAS-CSIC, Campus Universitario de Espinardo, E-30100 Murcia, Spain.
Cells. 2018 Oct 22;7(10):179. doi: 10.3390/cells7100179.
In animals and plants, membrane vesicles containing proteins have been defined as key for biological systems involving different processes such as trafficking or intercellular communication. Docking and fusion of vesicles to the plasma membrane occur in living cells in response to different stimuli, such as environmental changes or hormones, and therefore play an important role in cell homeostasis as vehicles for certain proteins or other substances. Because aquaporins enhance the water permeability of membranes, their role as proteins immersed in vesicles formed of natural membranes is a recent topic of study. They regulate numerous physiological processes and could hence serve new biotechnological purposes. Thus, in this review, we have explored the physiological implications of the trafficking of aquaporins, the mechanisms that control their transit, and the proteins that coregulate the migration. In addition, the importance of exosomes containing aquaporins in the cell-to-cell communication processes in animals and plants have been analyzed, together with their potential uses in biomedicine or biotechnology. The properties of aquaporins make them suitable for use as biomarkers of different aquaporin-related diseases when they are included in exosomes. Finally, the fact that these proteins could be immersed in biomimetic membranes opens future perspectives for new biotechnological applications.
在动物和植物中，含有蛋白质的膜泡已被确定为涉及不同过程（如运输或细胞间通讯）的生物系统的关键。膜泡与质膜的对接和融合在活细胞中会因不同刺激（如环境变化或激素）而发生，因此作为某些蛋白质或其他物质的载体，在细胞稳态中发挥着重要作用。由于水通道蛋白可增强膜的水通透性，其作为浸没在由天然膜形成的膜泡中的蛋白质的作用是最近的研究课题。它们调节众多生理过程，因此可用于新的生物技术目的。因此，在本综述中，我们探讨了水通道蛋白运输的生理意义、控制其转运的机制以及共同调节迁移的蛋白质。此外，还分析了含有水通道蛋白的外泌体在动植物细胞间通讯过程中的重要性，以及它们在生物医学或生物技术中的潜在用途。当水通道蛋白包含在外泌体中时，其特性使其适合用作不同水通道蛋白相关疾病的生物标志物。最后，这些蛋白质可以浸没在仿生膜中的事实为新的生物技术应用开辟了未来前景。
