Molecular Biology of Aquaporins

Aquaporins Aquaporins (AQPs) (AQPs Aquaporins (AQPs) ) Aquaporins (AQPs) are a family of membrane waterwater channels water channels that basically functionfunction as regulators of intracellular and intercellular water flow. To date, thirteen AQPs Aquaporins (AQPs) , which are distributed widely in specific cell types in various organs and tissues, have been characterized in humans. Four AQP Aquaporins (AQPs) 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 Aquaporins (AQPs) facilitates osmotic water transportwater transport across plasma membranesplasma membranes and thus transcellular fluid movement. The cellular functionsfunctions of aquaporins are regulated by posttranslational modificationsposttranslational 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.