The high diversity of aquaporins reveals novel facets of plant membrane functions.
The past year has brought significant advances in the characterisation in plants of a large class of water-channel proteins called aquaporins. The capacity of some of these proteins to transport small non-electrolytes in addition to water, together with their broad range of sub-cellular localisations, provides new clues to explain the great diversity of aquaporins in plants. Recent studies on water transport in roots illustrate how the variety of aquaporin functions at the tissue level is being uncovered.
Santoni
V
V
Biochimie et Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Montpellier, France. santoniv@ensam.inra.fr
Gerbeau
P
P
Javot
H
H
Maurel
C
C
D020346:Aquaporins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000378:metabolism
D020346:Aquaporins