Search

We analyzed the structure of aquaporin-1 (AQP1) by electron crystallography. The scaffold of the AQP1 molecule was formed by two helical bundles of 1-3 and 4-6. These two helical bundles are unusual in that the three helices form a roughly linear arrangement but not according to their position in the primary structure, that is, 1-2-3 and 4-5-6, but the first helix of each bundle is sandwiched between the other two helices of the bundle, that is, 2-1-3 and 5-4-6. Two helices of each bundle, helices 1 and 2 of the first bundle and helices 4 and 5 of the second bundle, run almost parallel to each other, tilting roughly in the same direction in the membrane. However, the third helix of the first bundle, helix 3, is oriented perpendicular to the axis defined by the first two helices of the bundle, and the same is found for helix 6 in the second helical bundle. The short helix HB from the first AQP1 repeat strongly interacts with transmembrane helix 6 from the second AQP1 repeat, while the short helix HE from the second AQP1 repeat interacts with transmembrane helix 3 from the first AQP1 repeat. This cross-interaction leads to an intimate link of the two protein halves.

Aquaporin-1, the archetypal water-channel protein,1 was initially identified in red cells and renal proximal tubular epithelium.2 The gene for aquaporin-1 (AQP1) on chromosome 7 colocalizes with the Colton blood-group antigen,3,4 and the Colton blood-group antigen polymorphism was identified as a substitution of a single amino acid in an extracellular domain of aquaporin-1.5 The International Blood Group Reference Laboratory has confirmed the existence of only six kindreds who lack the Colton blood group. Members of three of these kindreds were found to be homozygous for different mutations in the AQP1 gene, and their red-cell membranes had a complete . . .

The physiological significance of fluid homeostasis in the respiratory tract is readily apparent. The nasopharynx and upper airways must humidify the inspired airstream, as well as regulate the volume and composition of the airway surface layers. The distal lung must mobilize fluid at the time of birth in preparation for the transition to ex utero life and must handle a variety of challenges to fluid balance that could interfere with gas exchange throughout life. Disruption in water flux at these sites may contribute to the pathogenesis of rhinnorrhea, impaired mucociliary transport, exerciseor cold-induced asthma, and pulmonary edema. The molecular determinants of these processes in the respiratory tract therefore continue to be the focus of intense investigation. In this issue, Gynn and colleagues provide important new information about the expression of aquaporin water channel proteins in the human airway epithelium (1). Aquaporins (AQPs) are membrane channel proteins that are highly and, in most cases, specifically permeable to water. Ten mammalian AQPs have been identified to date, and homologues have been demonstrated at all levels of life, including bacteria, yeast, and plants (2). Several AQPs have been demonstrated to have permeabilities in addition to water. AQP3, AQP7, and AQP9 are permeable to small solutes (for example, glycerol), an observation whose functional significance is still undefined. Studies in Xenopus oocytes suggest that AQP1 is permeated by CO 2 (3). This finding was confirmed in proteoliposomes reconstituted with AQP1 (4), but was not observed in erythrocytes from AQP1-null mice lacking the protein (5). The magnitude of the CO 2 permeability is low compared to that of water, and the physiological significance is not yet clear. Studies of distribution and ontogeny in the rat respiratory tract established a network of four AQPs with nonoverlapping distribution (6–8). AQP1 is present in both the apical and basolateral membrane of microvascular endothelial cells and fibroblasts, while AQP3, AQP4, and AQP5 polarize to the apical or basolateral membrane at different sites in the respiratory epithelium. Curiously absent from the AQP network in the rat respiratory tract are AQPs on the apical membrane of nasopharyngeal or airway epithelium, or on the basolateral membrane of type I pneumocytes. Several explanations for these findings have been suggested: an unidentified AQP is expressed in those locations; water transport across the apical membrane occurs by non-AQP mediated mechanisms; or unilateral expression of an AQP in the epithelium suggests an alternative function besides transcellular water movement, for example cell volume regulation (8–10). Gynn and colleagues indicate that in the human respiratory tract there is an alternative explanation. The authors observed many similarities between the human and rat respiratory tract in the distribution of AQP3, AQP4, and AQP5, including the apical expression of AQP5 in secretory cells of subepithelial glands, the basolateral expression of AQP4 in superficial epithelium, the presence of AQP3 in basal cells of the nasopharyngeal and upper airway epithelium, and the expression of AQP5 in type I pneumocytes. The most notable findings in the study by Gynn and colleagues, however, are the differences between the two species. In contrast to the rat, AQPs are present in the apical membrane of airway epithelium in the human respiratory tract. AQP5 was detected by in situ hybridization in the superficial epithelium of nasopharyngeal and bronchial epithelium, as well as in subepithelial glands. Immunofluorescence confirmed the expression of AQP5 protein in the apical membrane in nasopharynx and subepithelial glands; however, AQP5 protein “was not routinely detected” in the bronchial epithelium, a discrepancy with the results of in situ hybridization that warrants further evaluation. At the level of the bronchioles, AQP3 was expressed not only in basal cells, but also in the apical membrane of columnar cells in the bronchiolar epithelium. In addition to being distinct from the rat respiratory tract, this is also the first example of apical trafficking of AQP3; in kidney, as well as in other, tissues, AQP3 has been localized exclusively to the basolateral membrane of different epithelia (11). Finally, the authors suggest that AQP3 is present in type II pneumocytes and that AQP4 is present in alveolar epithelial cells. Higher resolution imaging studies will be necessary to confirm the presence and distribution of these water channels in alveolar epithelium. The details of water transport in the respiratory tract continue to be a source of discussion, if not frank controversy. How is water supplied to the airway for humidification of the inspired airstream? Gynn’s observations, coupled with prior descriptions of AQP1 in the subepithelial ( Received in original form January 26, 2001 )

Aquaporin-1 (AQP1) water channel protein expression is increased by hypertonic stress. The contribution of changes in protein stability to hypertonic induction of AQP1 have not been described. Incubation of BALB/c fibroblasts spontaneously expressing AQP1 with proteasome inhibitors increased AQP1 expression, suggesting basal proteasome-dependent degradation of the protein. Degradation by the proteasome is thought to be triggered by polyubiquitination of a target protein. To determine whether AQP1 is ubiquitinated, immunoprecipitation with anti-AQP1 antibodies was performed, and the resultant samples were probed by protein immunoblot for the presence of ubiquitin. Immunoblots demonstrated ubiquitination of AQP1 under control conditions that increased after treatment with proteasome inhibitors (MG132, lactacystin). Exposure of cells to hypertonic medium for as little as 4 h decreased ubiquitination of AQP1, an effect that persisted through 24 h in hypertonic medium. Using metabolic labeling with [ 35 S]methionine, the half-life of AQP1 protein under isotonic conditions was found to be

The three-dimensional structure of GlpF, the glycerol facilitator of Escherichia coli, was determined by cryo-electron microscopy. The 6.9-A density map calculated from images of two-dimensional crystals shows the GlpF helices to be similar to those of AQP1, the erythrocyte water channel. While the helix arrangement of GlpF does not reflect the larger pore diameter as seen in the projection map, additional peripheral densities observed in GlpF are compatible with the 31 additional residues in loops C and E, which accordingly do not interfere with the inner channel construction. Therefore, the atomic structure of AQP1 was used as a basis for homology modeling of the GlpF channel, which is predicted to be free of bends, wider, and more vertically oriented than the AQP1 channel. Furthermore, the residues facing the GlpF channel exhibit an amphiphilic nature, being hydrophobic on one side and hydrophilic on the other side. This property may partially explain the contradiction of glycerol diffusion but limited water permeation capacity.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome database contains two ORFs with homology to aquaporins, AQY1 and AQY2 . Aqy1p has been shown to be a functional aquaporin in some strains, such as Σ1278b. AQY2 is disrupted by a stop codon in most strains; however, Σ1278b has an intact ORF. Because Σ1278b Aqy2p has an intracellular localization in Xenopus oocytes and in yeast, other strains of yeast were examined. Aqy2p from Saccharomyces chevalieri has a single amino acid in the third transmembrane domain (Ser-141) that differs from Σ1278b Aqy2p (Pro-141). S. chevalieri Aqy2p is a functional water channel in oocytes and traffics to the plasma membrane of yeast. The Σ1278b parental strain, the aqy1 - aqy2 double null yeast, and null yeast expressing S. chevalieri Aqy2p were examined under various conditions. Comparison of these strains revealed that the aquaporin null cells were more aggregated and their surface was more hydrophobic. As a result, the aquaporin null cells were more flocculent and more efficient at haploid invasive growth. Despite its primary intracellular localization, Σ1278b Aqy2p plays a role in yeast similar to Aqy1p and S. chevalieri Aqy2p. In addition, Aqy1p and Aqy2p can affect cell surface properties and may provide an advantage by dispersing the cells during starvation or during sexual reproduction.

Patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS) suffer from deficient secretion of saliva due to an autoimmune destruction of salivary glands, however, glandular dysfunction also occurs without destruction. Based upon its abnormal distribution in SS salivary glands, a potential role for the water channel protein aquaporin-5 (AQP5) is proposed in the pathogenesis of SS. The immunohistochemical distribution of AQP5 was compared in minor salivary gland biopsies obtained from women after informed consent: primary SS (53.2 +/- 14 years old, n = 10), healthy volunteers (46.2 +/- 17 years old, n = 10), patients with sarcoidosis (37 and 48 years old), and patients with non-specific sialoadenitis (54 and 61 years old). Biopsies from normal subjects revealed AQP5 primarily at the apical membrane of the salivary gland acinus. In contrast, biopsies from SS patients revealed AQP5 primarily at the basal membranes of the acinus. The AQP5 distribution in biopsies from patients with other dry mouth disorders, such as non-specific sialoadenitis or sarcoidosis, was similar to biopsies from control subjects. Computer-assisted microscopy was performed to quantitatively evaluate AQP5 distribution in the immunoreactive acini of both SS and control subjects. Biopsies from SS patients had higher labeling indices (percentage of acinus area immunoreactive for AQP5) at the basal membrane when compared with biopsies from control subjects. In contrast, biopsies of SS patients exhibited lower labeling indices at the apical membrane when compared with biopsies from control subjects. To verify the specificity of the AQP5 antibody, Western blot analysis was performed on membranes from Xenopus oocytes injected with AQP5 cRNA or on membranes from minor salivary glands of control subjects and SS patients. In each case, the immunoblots had a 27 kd band, corresponding to the expected molecular weight of AQP5. Abnormal distribution of AQP5 in salivary gland acini is likely to contribute to the deficiency of fluid secretion, which is a defining feature of Sjögren's syndrome., Comparative Study, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S., info:eu-repo/semantics/published

In the rat, aquaporin-6 (AQP6) is mainly localized in intercalated cells (ICs) in collecting ducts, where it is exclusively associated with intracellular vesicles. In this study, we examined whether AQP6 protein and mRNA expression were regulated in the inner medulla or inner stripe of the outer medulla. Rats treated with dietary alkali or acid load for 7 days with a fixed daily water intake revealed appropriate changes in urine pH but unchanged urine output. AQP6 protein and mRNA abundance were increased in alkali-loaded rats (187 ± 18 and 151 ± 17% of control, respectively), whereas no changes were observed in acid-loaded rats. Immunohistochemistry revealed increased IC AQP6 labeling in alkali-loaded rats but not in acid-loaded rats. In contrast, administration of NH4Cl in the drinking water for 2 wk (free access to water) revealed a significant increase in AQP6 protein abundance (194 ± 9% of control), but this was associated with increased water intake. Combined, this suggests that AQP6 expression was not affected by acid loading per se but rather was in response to changes in water intake. Consistent with this, water loading for 48 h was associated with increased AQP6 protein abundance, compared with thirsted rats. Moreover, rats with lithium-induced nephrogenic diabetes insipidus had a threefold increase in both AQP6 protein and mRNA expression. Overall, these results suggest that AQP6 expression in collecting duct ICs is regulated by altered acid/alkali load or water balance. Thus AQP6 may contribute to maintenance of acid-base homeostasis and water balance.

Aquaporin-5 (AQP5) is a water channel protein expressed in lung, salivary gland, and lacrimal gland epithelia. Each of these sites may experience fluctuations in surface liquid osmolarity; however, osmotic regulation of AQP5 expression has not been reported. This study demonstrates that AQP5 is induced by hypertonic stress and that induction requires activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Incubation of mouse lung epithelial cells (MLE-15) in hypertonic medium produced a dose-dependent increase in AQP5 expression; AQP5 protein peaked by 24 h and returned to baseline levels within hours of returning cells to isotonic medium. AQP5 induction was observed only with relatively impermeable solutes, suggesting an osmotic pressure gradient is required for induction. ERK was selectively activated in MLE-15 cells by hypertonic stress, and inhibition of ERK activation with two distinct mitogen-activated extracellular regulated kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitors, U0126 and PD98059, blocked AQP5 induction. AQP5 induction was also observed in the lung, salivary, and lacrimal glands of hyperosmolar rats, suggesting potential physiologic relevance for osmotic regulation of AQP5 expression. This report provides the first example of hypertonic induction of an extrarenal aquaporin, as well as the first association between mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling and aquaporin expression.

The molecular basis of membrane water-permeability remained elusive until the recent discovery of the aquaporin water-channel proteins. The fundamental importance of these proteins is suggested by their conservation from bacteria through plants to mammals. Ten mammalian aquaporins have thus far been identified, each with a distinct distribution. In the kidney, lung, eye and brain, multiple water-channel homologs are expressed, providing a network for water transport in those locations. It is increasingly clear that alterations in aquaporin expression or function can be rate-limiting for water transport across certain membranes. Aquaporins are likely to prove central to the pathophysiology of a variety of clinical conditions from diabetes insipidus to various forms of edema and, ultimately, they could be a target for therapy in diseases of altered water homeostasis.

The glycerol uptake facilitator of E. coli (GlpF) (Boos et al., 1990) is one of the few known diffusion facilitators in the inner membrane of this bacterium. Glycerol diffuses into the cell through GlpF and is phosphorylated by the glycerol kinase (GlpK), which prevents back-diffusion. Besides glycerol transport, the diffusion of polyols and urea derivatives through GlpF have been reported (Maurel et al., 1994), but none of these substrates are transported in a phosphorylated state. In contrast, it remains unclear whether GlpF allows the passage of water.

Molecular water channels (aquaporins) allow living cells to adapt to osmotic variations by rapid and specific diffusion of water molecules. Aquaporins are present in animals, plants, algae, fungi and bacteria. Here we present an electron microscopic analysis of the most ancient water channel described so far: the aquaporin Z (AqpZ) of Escherichia coli. A recombinant AqpZ with a poly(histidine) tag at the N terminus has been constructed, overexpressed and purified to homogeneity. Solubilized with octylglucoside, the purified AqpZ remains associated as a homotetramer, and assembles into highly ordered two-dimensional tetragonal crystals with unit cell dimensions a=b=95 Angstrom, gamma=90 degrees when reconstituted by dialysis in the presence of Lipids. Three-dimensional reconstruction of negatively stained lattices revealed the p42(1)2 packing arrangement that is also observed with the human erythrocyte water channel (AQP1). The 8 Angstrom projection map of the AqpZ tetramer in frozen hydrated samples is similar to that of AQP1, consistent with the high sequence homology between these proteins. (C) 1999 Academic Press.

Transport of water across the plasma membrane is a fundamental process occurring in all living organisms. In bacteria, osmotic movement of water across the cytoplasmic membrane is needed to maintain cellular turgor; however, the molecular mechanisms of this process are poorly defined. Involvement of aquaporin water channels in bacterial water permeability was suggested by the recent discovery of the aquaporin gene, aqpZ , in Escherichia coli . By employing cryoelectron microscopy to compare E. coli cells containing (AqpZ + ) and lacking (AqpZ − ) aquaporin, we show that the AqpZ water channel rapidly mediates large water fluxes in response to sudden changes in extracellular osmolarity. These findings (i) demonstrate for the first time functional expression of a prokaryotic water channel, (ii) evidence the bidirectional water channel feature of AqpZ, (iii) document a role for AqpZ in bacterial osmoregulation, and (iv) define a suitable model for studying the physiology of prokaryotic water transport.

Aquaporin-1 (AQP1) water channels are present in the apical and basolateral plasma membrane domains of bile duct epithelial cells, or cholangiocytes, and mediate the transport of water in these cells. We previously reported that secretin, a hormone known to stimulate ductal bile secretion, increases cholangiocyte osmotic water permeability and stimulates the redistribution of AQP1 from an intracellular vesicular pool to the cholangiocyte plasma membrane. Nevertheless, the target plasma membrane domain (i.e., basolateral or apical) for secretin-regulated trafficking of AQP1 in cholangiocytes is unknown, as is the functional significance of this process for the secretion of ductal bile. In this study, we used primarily an in vivo model (i.e., rats with cholangiocyte hyperplasia induced by bile duct ligation) to address these issues. AQP1 was quantitated by immunoblotting in apical and basolateral plasma membranes prepared from cholangiocytes isolated from rats 20 min after intravenous infusion of secretin. Secretin increased bile flow (78%, P < 0.01) as well as the amount of AQP1 in the apical cholangiocyte plasma membrane (127%, P < 0.05). In contrast, the amount of AQP1 in the basolateral cholangiocyte membrane and the specific activity of an apical cholangiocyte marker enzyme (i.e., γ-glutamyltranspeptidase) were unaffected by secretin. Similar observations were made when freshly isolated cholangiocytes were directly exposed to secretin. Immunohistochemistry for AQP1 in liver sections from secretin-treated rats showed intensified staining at the apical region of cholangiocytes. Pretreatment of rats with colchicine (but not with its inactive analog β-lumicolchicine) inhibited both the increases of AQP1 in the cholangiocyte plasma membrane (94%, P < 0.05) and the bile flow induced by secretin (54%, P < 0.05). Our results in vivo indicate that secretin induces the microtubule-dependent insertion of AQP1 exclusively into the secretory pole (i.e., apical membrane domain) of rat cholangiocytes, a process that likely accounts for the ability of secretin to stimulate ductal bile secretion.

This article summarizes methods for the chemical synthesis and biophysical characterization of gramicidins with varying sequences and labels. The family of gramicidin channels has developed into a powerful model system for understanding fundamental properties, interactions, and dynamics of proteins and lipids generally, and ion channels specifically, in biological membranes.

The paper by Schnermann and colleagues (1) in this issue of the Proceedings is an excellent example of how the application of classical physiological measurements to tissues from transgenic mice successfully answered an important biological question: how is water reabsorbed by renal proximal tubules? The human kidney plays an important role in waste removal by filtering approximately 200 liters of plasma per day from which essential solutes are reabsorbed along with most of the water. Renal proximal tubules and descending thin limbs of Henle’s loop are the sites where approximately 80% of this fluid is reabsorbed. The vectorial distribution of salt and sugar transporters at the apical membranes (facing the urinary lumen) or basolateral membranes (facing the interstitium) together create a small-standing osmotic gradient across the tubular epithelium. Thus, the interstitium is slightly hyperosmolar with respect to …

Water transport during peritoneal dialysis (PD) requires ultrasmall pores in the capillary endothelium of the peritoneum and is impaired in the case of peritoneal inflammation. The water channel aquaporin (AQP)-1 has been proposed to be the ultrasmall pore in animal models. To substantiate the role of AQP-1 in the human peritoneum, we investigated the expression of AQP-1, AQP-2, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in 19 peritoneal samples from normal subjects ( n = 5), uremic patients treated by hemodialysis ( n = 7) or PD ( n = 4), and nonuremic patients ( n = 3), using Western blotting and immunostaining. AQP-1 is very specifically located in capillary and venule endothelium but not in small-size arteries. In contrast, eNOS is located in all types of endothelia. Immunoblot for AQP-1 in human peritoneum reveals a 28-kDa band (unglycosylated AQP-1) and diffuse bands of 35–50 kDa (glycosylated AQP-1). Although AQP-1 expression is remarkably stable in all samples whatever their origin, eNOS (135 kDa) is upregulated in the three patients with ascites and/or peritonitis (1 PD and 2 nonuremic patients). AQP-2, regulated by vasopressin, is not expressed at the protein level in human peritoneum. This study 1) supports AQP-1 as the molecular counterpart of the ultrasmall pore in the human peritoneum and 2) demonstrates that AQP-1 and eNOS are regulated independently of each other in clinical conditions characterized by peritoneal inflammation.

Multiple physiological fluid movements are involved in vision. Here we define the cellular and subcellular sites of aquaporin (AQP) water transport proteins in human and rat eyes by immunoblotting, high-resolution immunocytochemistry, and immunoelectron microscopy. AQP3 is abundant in bulbar conjunctival epithelium and glands but is only weakly present in corneal epithelium. In contrast, AQP5 is prominent in corneal epithelium and apical membranes of lacrimal acini. AQP1 is heavily expressed in scleral fibroblasts, corneal endothelium and keratocytes, and endothelium covering the trabecular meshwork and Schlemm’s canal. Although AQP1 is plentiful in ciliary nonpigmented epithelium, it is not present in ciliary pigmented epithelium. Posterior and anterior epithelium of the iris and anterior lens epithelium also contain significant amounts of AQP1, but AQP0 (major intrinsic protein of the lens) is expressed in lens fiber cells. Retinal Müller cells and astrocytes exhibit notable concentrations of AQP4, whereas neurons and retinal pigment epithelium do not display aquaporin immunolabeling. These studies demonstrate selective expression of AQP1, AQP3, AQP4, and AQP5 in distinct ocular epithelia, predicting specific roles for each in the complex network through which water movements occur in the eye.

Aquaporins 1 (AQP1) and 2 (AQP2) were expressed in the yeast secretory mutant sec6-4. The mutant accumulates post-Golgi, plasma membrane-targeted vesicles and may be used to produce large quantities of membrane proteins. AQP1 or AQP2 were inducibly expressed in yeast and were localized within isolated sec6-4 vesicles by immunoblot analysis. Secretory vesicles containing AQP1 and AQP2 exhibited high water permeabilities and low activation energies for water flow, indicating expression of functional AQP1 and AQP2. AQP1 solubilized from secretory vesicles was successfully reconstituted into proteoliposomes, demonstrating the ability to use the yeast system to express aquaporins for reconstitution studies. The AQP2-containing secretory vesicles showed no increased permeability toward formamide, urea, glycerol, or protons compared with control vesicles, demonstrating that AQP2 is highly selective for water over these other substances. We conclude that the expression of aquaporins in yeast sec6 vesicles is a valid system to further study mammalian water channel function.

The aquaporin-1 (AQP1) water channel protein is expressed in multiple mammalian tissues by several different developmental programs; however, the genetic regulation is undefined. The proximal promoter of mouse Aqp1 contains multiple putative cis-acting regulatory elements, and mouse erythroleukemia (MEL) cells are a well-characterized model for erythroid differentiation. Corticosteroid or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) exposure induces AQP1 protein expression in MEL cells, and transcriptional regulation was investigated by transient transfections with Aqp1 promoter-reporter constructs. Dexamethasone induction is abrogated by deletion of two glucocorticoid response elements −0.5 kilobases (kb) from the transcription initiation site. Mutation of the GATA element at −0.62 kb has no effect, whereas mutation of the CACCC site at −37 bp significantly reduces DMSO-induced promoter activity. Hydroxyurea induces expression of AQP1 protein without acting through the proximal promoter. The MEL cell line is a reproducible erythroid model system for studying transcriptional regulation of the Aqp1 gene while determining the consequences on AQP1 protein biosynthesis.

The aquaporins are a family of membrane channel proteins that serve as selective pores through which water crosses the plasma membranes of many human tissues and cell types. The sites where aquaporins are expressed implicate these proteins in renal water reabsorption, cerebrospinal fluid secretion and reabsorption, generation of pulmonary secretions, aqueous humor secretion and reabsorption, lacrimation, and multiple other physiologic processes. Determination of the aquaporin gene sequences and their chromosomal locations has provided insight into the structure and pathophysiologic roles of these proteins, and primary and secondary involvement of aquaporins is becoming apparent in diverse clinical disorders. Aquaporin-1 (AQP1) is expressed in multiple tissues including red blood cells, and the Colton blood group antigens represent a polymorphism on the AQP1 protein. AQP2 is restricted to renal collecting ducts and has been linked to congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus in humans and to lithium-induced nephrogenic diabetes insipidus and fluid retention from congestive heart failure in rat models. Congenital cataracts result from mutations in the mouse gene encoding the lens homolog Aqp0 (Mip). The present understanding of aquaporin physiology is still incomplete; identification of additional members of the aquaporin family will affect future studies of multiple disorders of water distribution throughout the body. In some tissues, the aquaporins may participate in the transepithelial movement of fluid without being rate limiting, so aquaporins may be involved in clinical disorders without being causative. As outlined in this review, our challenge is to identify disease states in which aquaporins are involved, to define the aquaporins' roles mechanistically, and to search for ways to exploit this information therapeutically.

Aquaporin-4 is a mammalian water channel protein that is predominately expressed in brain, where it is believed to mediate water homeostasis. Here we report the isolation and characterization of the cDNA for mouse Aqp4 and map the gene to the proximal region of mouse chromosome 18. This region contains the neurological mutation ataxia, but further analysis reveals that Aqp4 is not responsible for the ataxia phenotype.

A replication-deficient, recombinant adenovirus encoding human aquaporin-1 (hAQP1), the archetypal water channel, was constructed. This virus, AdhAQP1, directed hAQP1 expression in several epithelial cell lines in vitro . In polarized MDCK cell monolayers, hAQP1 was localized in the apical and basolateral plasma membranes. Fluid movement across monolayers infected by AdhAQP1 in response to an osmotic gradient was ≈4-fold that seen with uninfected monolayers or monolayers infected by a control virus. When AdhAQP1 was administered to rat submandibular glands by retrograde ductal instillation, significant hAQP1 expression was observed by Western blot analysis in crude plasma membranes and by immunohistochemical staining in both acinar and ductal cells. Three or four months after exposure to a single radiation dose (17.5 or 21 Gy, respectively), AdhAQP1 administration to rat submandibular glands led to a two- to threefold increase in salivary secretion compared with secretion from glands administered a control virus. These results suggest that hAQP1 gene transfer may have potential as an unique approach for the treatment of postradiation salivary hypofunction.

Publisher Summary Identification of the aquaporin gene family has provided new insight into the way water moves across the plasma membranes of many tissues and cell types. Definition of the gene structures for some of these water channels has established both primary and secondary roles for these proteins in health and disease. Currently, the understanding of the physiology of the aquaporins in the eye and other tissues remains incomplete. Additional aquaporin family members are likely to be discovered in specific sites within the eye and other tissues, which will provide a better understanding of the complex pathways through which water is distributed in response to osmotic gradients. Thus, the aquaporins may be molecular answers to the etiology of important clinical problems. The challenge is to identify the disease states in which aquaporins are involved, to define their involvement mechanistically, and to search the ways in which they may be exploited therapeutically.

The molecular pathways for fluid transport in pulmonary, oral, and nasal tissues are still unresolved. Here we use immunocytochemistry and immunoelectron microscopy to define the sites of expression of four aquaporins in the respiratory tract and glandular epithelia, where they reside in distinct, nonoverlapping sites. Aquaporin-1 (AQP1) is present in apical and basolateral membranes of bronchial, tracheal, and nasopharyngeal vascular endothelium and fibroblasts. AQP5 is localized to the apical plasma membrane of type I pneumocytes and the apical plasma membranes of secretory epithelium in upper airway and salivary glands. In contrast, AQP3 is present in basal cells of tracheal and nasopharyngeal epithelium and is abundant in basolateral membranes of surface epithelial cells of nasal conchus. AQP4 resides in basolateral membranes of columnar cells of bronchial, tracheal, and nasopharyngeal epithelium; in nasal conchus AQP4 is restricted to basolateral membranes of a subset of intra- and subepithelial glands. These sites of expression suggest that transalveolar water movement, modulation of airway surface liquid, air humidification, and generation of nasopharyngeal secretions involve a coordinated network of aquaporin water channels.

A recombinant adenovirus coding for rat aquaporin-5 was constructed and plaque purified. The recombinant adenovirus (AdrAQP5) mediated the expression of aquaporin-5 in rat and human salivary cell lines and in dog kidney cells in vitro as demonstrated by Northern blot and Western blot analyses, and by confocal microscopy after immunofluorescent labeling. In kidney cells, expression of the transgene was optimal if cells were infected at their basolateral surface, a phenomenon associated with the distribution of integrin receptors on these cells. The expressed aquaporin-5 protein was functionally active because viral-mediated gene transfer resulted in a significant increase in the osmotically directed net fluid secretion rate across monolayers of kidney cells. AdrAQP5 should provide an efficient and useful means to impart facilitated water permeability to cells lacking such a pathway.

One of the best established roles of taurine is that of an osmoregulator7. Many cell types have been shown to sustain a loss of taurine upon exposure to hypoosmotic stress11 while an increased uptake of this amino acid can be induced by hyperosmotic conditions12. The latter effect has been demonstrated in renal cells in culture, thus supporting the notion that taurine acts as an organic osmolyte in the kidney along with polyhydric alcohols and methylamines5.

The aquaporin family of membrane water transport proteins are expressed in diverse tissues, and in brain the predominant water channel protein is AQP4. Here we report the isolation and characterization of the human AQP4 cDNAs and genomic DNA. Two cDNAs were isolated corresponding to the two initiating methionines (M1 in a 323-aa polypeptide and M23 in a 301-aa polypeptide) previously identified in rat [Jung, J.S., Bhat, R.V., Preston, G.M., Guggino, W.B. & Agre, P. (1994) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 91, 13052-13056]. Similar to other aquaporins, the AQP4 gene is composed of four exons encoding 127, 55, 27, and 92 amino acids separated by introns of 0.8, 0.3, and 5.2 kb. Unlike other aquaporins, an alternative coding initiation sequence (designated exon 0) was located 2.7 kb upstream of exon 1. When spliced together, M1 and the subsequent 10 amino acids are encoded by exon 0; the next 11 amino acids and M23 are encoded by exon 1. Transcription initiation sites have been mapped in the proximal promoters of exons 0 and 1. RNase protection revealed distinct transcripts corresponding to M1 and M23 mRNAs, and AQP4 immunoblots of cerebellum demonstrated reactive polypeptides of 31 and 34 kDa. Using a P1 and a lambda EMBL subclone, the chromosomal site of the human AQP4 gene was mapped to chromosome 18 at the junction of q11.2 and q12.1 by fluorescence in situ hybridization. These studies may now permit molecular characterization of AQP4 during human development and in clinical disorders.

Both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells need to be able to transport ammonia gas. In their Perspective, [Knepper and Agre][1] discuss an exciting study ([ Khademi et al .][2]) that reports resolution of the crystallographic structure of a bacterial ammonia transport channel, AmtB, to an astonishing 1.35 angstroms, an amazing feat for an integral membrane protein. The structure reveals how ammonia is transported in bacteria and sheds light on how related ammonia transport proteins work in eukaryotic cells. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/305/5690/1573 [2]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/305/5690/1587

Members of the aquaporin family of molecular water transporters are expressed in diverse epithelia and in complex developmental patterns. Using a cDNA for mouse Aqp1, the structural gene was isolated and a restriction map was constructed. The 13-kb Aqp1 gene contains four exons with intronic boundaries corresponding to other known aquaporin genes. Transcription begins 67 bp 5' to the translation initiation site and 20 bp 3' from a TATAA consensus sequence. Aqp1 was localized by interspecific mouse backcross mapping to the central region of mouse chromosome 6 syntenic with human chromosome 7p14, where AQP1 had previously been localized. These studies have revealed marked structural similarities between the mouse Aqp1 and the human AQP1 genes, suggesting that further comparative studies may provide molecular insight into genetic regulatory features shared by both species.

The longstanding puzzle of membrane water-permeability was advanced by discovery of a new class of proteins known as the "aquaporins" (AQPs). First identified in red blood cells, AQP1 was shown to function as a water channel when expressed in Xenopus oocytes or when pure AQP1 protein was reconstituted into synthetic membranes. Analysis of the primary sequence revealed that the two halves of the AQP1 polypeptide are tandem repeats; site directed mutagenesis studies indicate that the repeats may fold into an obversely symmetric structure which resembles an hourglass. Electron crystallography elucidated the tetrameric organization of AQP1, and functional studies suggest that each tetramer contains multiple functionally independent aqueous pores. AQP1 is abundant in the apical and basolateral membranes of renal proximal tubules and descending thin limbs, and is also present in multiple extra renal tissues. AQP2 is expressed only in the principal cells of renal collecting duct where it is the predominant vasopressin (ADH, antidiuretic hormone) regulated water channel. AQP2 is localized in the apical membrane and in intracellular vesicles which are targeted to the apical plasma membranes when stimulated by ADH. Humans with mutations in genes encoding AQP1 and AQP2 exhibit contrasting clinical phenotypes. AQP3 resides in the basolateral membranes of renal collecting duct principal cells providing an exit pathway for water; AQP4 is abundant in brain where it may function as the hypothalamic osmoreceptor responsible for secretion of ADH. Continued analysis of the aquaporins is providing detailed molecular insight into the fundamental physiological problems of water balance and disorders of water balance.

The Aquaporin family of water channels plays a fundamental role in transmembrane water movements in numerous plant and animal tissues. Since the molecular pathway by which water is secreted by salivary glands is unknown, a cDNA was isolated from rat submandibular gland by homology cloning. Similar to other Aquaporins, the salivary cDNA encodes a 265-residue polypeptide with six putative transmembrane domains separated by five connecting loops (A-E); the NH2- and COOH-terminal halves of the polypeptide are sequence-related, and each contains the motif Asn-Pro-Ala. A mercurial-inhibition site is present in extracellular loop E, and cytoplasmic loop D contains a cAMP-protein kinase phosphorylation consensus. In vitro translation yielded a 27-kDa polypeptide, and expression of the cRNA in Xenopus oocytes conferred a 20-fold increase in osmotic water permeability (Pf) which was reversibly inhibited by 1 mM HgCl2. Northern analysis demonstrated a 1.6-kilobase mRNA in submandibular, parotid, and sublingual salivary glands, lacrimal gland, eye, trachea, and lung. In situ hybridization revealed a strong hybridization over the corneal epithelium in eye and over the secretory lobules in salivary glands. These studies have identified a new mammalian member of the Aquaporin water channel family (gene symbol AQP5) which is implicated in the generation of saliva, tears, and pulmonary secretions.

The discovery of the RH blood group system by Levine and his colleagues (1939, 1941a, b) was associated with the historical description of a fetomaternal alloimmunization responsible for the hemolytic disease of the newborn. The intrauterine fetal death was caused by a maternal antibody directed against an antigen on the surface of her infant’s red cells which was inherited from the father. This antibody had crossed the placenta and destroyed the fetal red cells.

The recent identification of the red cell water transporter (AQP1) has led to the identification of the "aquaporins", a new class of membrane proteins which function as water-selective transport proteins and are involved in many physiological processes. Identification of the chromosomal localization of the corresponding gene led to the recognition that AQP1 is the structural basis of the Colton blood group antigens. Analysis of individuals with the Colton null phenotype led to the recognition that homozygosity for knockout mutations in the corresponding gene is exceedingly rare but is without a significant clinical phenotype, predicting a redundancy in expression of other aquaporin homologs. These studies demonstrate the importance which molecular studies in red cell blood group antigens may play in diverse areas of biomedical research. Moreover, they provide another example that blood group antigens may be polymorphisms in functionally important proteins on the red cell surface.

Cholangiocytes line the intrahepatic bile ducts and regulate salt and water secretion during bile formation, but the mechanism(s) regulating ductal water movement remains obscure. A water-selective channel, the aquaporin CHIP, was recently described in several epithelia, so we tested the hypothesis that osmotic water movement by cholangiocytes is mediated by CHIP. Isolated rodent cholangiocytes showed a rapid increase in volume in the presence of hypotonic extracellular buffers; the ratio of osmotic to diffusional permeability coefficients was > 10. The osmotically induced increase in cholangiocyte volume was inversely proportional to buffer osmolality, independent of temperature, and reversibly blocked by HgCl2. Also, the luminal area of isolated, enclosed bile duct units increased after exposure to hypotonic buffer and was reversibly inhibited by HgCl2. RNase protection assays, anti-CHIP immunoblots, and immunocytochemistry confirmed that CHIP transcript and protein were present in isolated cholangiocytes but not in hepatocytes. These results demonstrate that (i) isolated cholangiocytes and intact, polarized bile duct units manifest rapid, mercury-sensitive increases in cell size and luminal area, respectively, in response to osmotic gradients and (ii) isolated cholangiocytes express aquaporin CHIP at both the mRNA and the protein level. The data implicate aquaporin water channels in the transcellular movement of water across cholangiocytes lining intrahepatic bile ducts and provide a plausible molecular explanation for ductal water secretion.

Certain biological membranes, such as the erythrocyte plasma membrane, have a high osmotic water permeability, and such membranes have long been suspected of harboring water channels. The molecular identity of these channels has now been established with the purification of water-channel proteins and the cloning of the genes encoding them. Homologous water-channel proteins, called ‘aquaporins', are present in plants and animals. These channels are water selective and do not allow ions or metabolites to pass through them. Their discovery is providing new insights into how plant and animal cells facilitate and regulate the passage of water through their membranes.

The gene aquaporin-1 encodes channel-forming integral protein (CHIP), a member of a large family of water transporters found throughout nature. Three rare individuals were identified who do not express CHIP-associated Colton blood group antigens and whose red cells exhibit low osmotic water permeabilities. Genomic DNA analyses demonstrated that two individuals were homozygous for different nonsense mutations (exon deletion or frameshift), and the third had a missense mutation encoding a nonfunctioning CHIP molecule. Surprisingly, none of the three suffers any apparent clinical consequence, which raises questions about the physiological importance of CHIP and implies that other mechanisms may compensate for its absence.

Channel-forming integral protein (CHIP) is the archetypal member of the Aquaporin family of water channels. Delayed CHIP expression was shown recently in perinatal rat (Smith, B. L., R. Baumgarten, S. Nielsen, D. Raben, M. L. Zeidel, and P. Agre. 1993. J. Clin. Invest. 92:2035-2041); here we delineate the human patterns. Compared with adult, second and third trimester human fetal red cells had lower CHIP/spectrin ratios (0.72 +/- 0.12, 0.94 +/- 0.22 vs 1.18 +/- 0.11) and reduced osmotic water permeability (0.029, 0.026 vs 0.037 cm/s); CHIP was already present in human renal tubules by the second trimester. A patient with a novel form of congenital dyserythropoietic anemia (CDA) with persistent embryonic and fetal globins and absent red cell CD44 protein was studied because of reduced CHIP-associated Colton antigens. Novel CDA red cells contained < 10% of the normal level of CHIP and had remarkably low osmotic water permeability (< 0.01 cm/s), but no mutation was identified in Aquaporin-1, the gene encoding CHIP. These studies demonstrate: (a) unlike rat, human CHIP expression occurs early in fetal development; (b) red cell water channels are greatly reduced in a rare phenotype; and (c) disrupted expression of red cell CHIP and CD44 suggests an approach to the molecular defect in a novel form of CDA.

Water-permeable membranes of several plant and mammalian tissues contain specific water channel proteins, the 'aquaporins'. The best characterized aquaporin is CHIP, a 28 kDa red blood cell channel-forming integral protein. Isolated CHIP and Escherichia coli lipids may be assembled into 2-D crystals for structural analyses. Here we present (i) a structural characterization of the solubilized CHIP oligomers, (ii) projections of CHIP arrays after negative staining or metal-shadowing, and (iii) the 3-D structure at 1.6 nm resolution. Negatively stained CHIP oligomers exhibited a side length of 6.9 nm with four-fold symmetry, and a mass of 202 +/- 3 kDa determined by scanning transmission electron microscopy. Reconstituted into lipid bilayers, CHIP formed 2-D square lattices with unit cell dimensions a = b = 9.6 nm and a p422(1) symmetry. The 3-D map revealed that CHIP tetramers contain central stain-filled depressions about the fourfold axis. These cavities extend from both sides into the transbilayer domain of the molecule leaving only a thin barrier to be penetrated by the water pores. Although CHIP monomers behave as independent pores, we propose that their particular structure requires tetramerization for stable integration into the bilayer.

Major phenotypic changes occur in red cell membranes during the perinatal period, but the underlying molecular explanations remain poorly defined. Aquaporin CHIP, the major erythroid and renal water channel, was studied in perinatal rats using affinity-purified anti-CHIP IgG for immunoblotting, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence microscopy. CHIP was not detected in prenatal red cells but was first identified in circulating red cells on the third postnatal day. Most circulating red cells were positive for CHIP by the seventh postnatal day, and this proportion rose to nearly 100% by the 14th day. The ontogeny of red cell CHIP correlated directly with acquisition of osmotic water permeability and inversely with Arrhenius activation energy. Only minor alterations in the composition of red cell membrane lipids occurred at this time. Immunohistochemical analysis of perinatal kidneys demonstrated a major induction of CHIP in renal proximal tubules and descending thin limbs at birth, coincident with the development of renal concentration mechanisms. Therefore, water channels are unnecessary for oxygen delivery or survival in the prenatal circulation, however CHIP may confer red cells with the ability to rehydrate rapidly after traversing the renal medulla, which becomes hypertonic after birth.

Despite longstanding interest by nephrologists and physiologists, the molecular identities of membrane water channels remained elusive until recognition of CHIP, a 28-kDa channel-forming integral membrane protein from human red blood cells originally referred to as "CHIP28." CHIP functions as an osmotically driven, water-selective pore; 1) expression of CHIP conferred Xenopus oocytes with markedly increased osmotic water permeability but did not allow transmembrane passage of ions or other small molecules; 2) reconstitution of highly purified CHIP into proteoliposomes permitted determination of the unit water permeability, i.e., 3.9 x 10(9) water molecules.channel subunit-1 x s-1. Although CHIP exists as a homotetramer in the native red blood cell membrane, site-directed mutagenesis studies suggested that each subunit contains an individually functional pore that may be reversibly occluded by mercurial inhibitors reacting with cysteine-189. CHIP is a major component of both apical and basolateral membranes of water-permeable segments of the nephron, where it facilitates transcellular water flow during reabsorption of glomerular filtrate. CHIP is also abundant in certain other absorptive or secretory epithelia, including choroid plexus, ciliary body of the eye, hepatobiliary ductules, gall bladder, and capillary endothelia. Distinct patterns of CHIP expression occur at these sites during fetal development and maturity. Similar proteins from other mammalian tissues and plants were later shown to transport water, and the group is now referred to as the "aquaporins." Recognition of CHIP has provided molecular insight into the biological phenomenon of osmotic water movement, and it is hoped that pharmacological modulation of CHIP function may provide novel treatments of renal failure and other clinical problems.

The CHIP28 water channel is a major component of red cell and renal tubule membranes; however, its ontogeny and tissue distribution remain undefined. Three patterns of expression were identified when CHIP28 mRNA was surveyed by in situ hybridization histochemistry in rats between embryonic day 14 and maturity. (i) CHIP28 mRNA and protein were very abundant in hematopoietic tissue and kidneys of mature rats, but strong expression did not occur until after birth, when it appeared in renal proximal tubules and descending thin limbs, red pulp of the spleen, and membranes of circulating red cells. (ii) CHIP28 mRNA was abundant in choroid plexus epithelium throughout fetal development and maturity. (iii) CHIP28 mRNA was transiently observed in periosteum, heart, vascular endothelium, and cornea during fetal development. The ontogeny of kidney and red cell CHIP28 expression coincides with the ability of kidneys to concentrate urine, suggesting that CHIP28 promotes water reabsorption in the proximal nephron and provides red cell osmoregulation needed for passage through the hypertonic medulla. Its presence in the choroid plexus suggests that CHIP28-mediated water transport contributes to secretion of cerebrospinal fluid. The functional role of CHIP28 in developing bone, heart, and eye is unclear. These findings further establish the general physiologic role of CHIP28 as a water channel involved in reabsorption, osmoregulation, and secretion. The studies also suggest other possible functions during fetal development and predict that complex mechanisms will be needed for regulation of CHIP28 gene expression in diverse tissues at distinct points in development.