title: The role of aquaporin 3 in the movement of water and cryoprotectants in mouse morulae.
abstract: The permeability to water and cryoprotectants of the plasma membrane is crucial to the successful cryopreservation of embryos. Previously, we have shown in mouse morulae that water and glycerol move across the plasma membrane by facilitated diffusion, and we have suggested that aquaporin 3 plays an important role in their movement. In the present study, we clarify the contribution of aquaporin 3 to the movement of water and various cryoprotectants in mouse morulae by measuring the Arrhenius activation energies for permeability to cryoprotectants and water, through artificial expression of aquaporin 3 using Aqp3 cRNA in mouse oocytes, and by suppressing the expression of aquaporin 3 in morulae by injecting double-stranded RNA of Aqp3 at the one-cell zygote stage. The results show that aquaporin 3 plays an important role in the facilitated diffusion of water, glycerol, and ethylene glycol, but not of acetamide and dimethylsulfoxide. On the other hand, in a propylene glycol solution, aquaporin 3 in morulae transported neither propylene glycol nor water by facilitated diffusion, probably because of strong water-solute interactions. These results provide important information for understanding the permeability of the plasma membrane of the mouse embryo.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Animal Science, College of Agriculture, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8502, Japan. keisuke@kochi-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Edashige
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.forename: Mitsunobu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Tatsunaga
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuwano
authors.forename: Delgado M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Valdez
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Sei-ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Shinsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Seki
authors.forename: Chihiro
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Koshimoto
authors.forename: Magosaburo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kasai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051400:Aquaporin 3 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability; D003451:Cryoprotective Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009028:Morula / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011247:Pregnancy; D019946:Propylene Glycol / Q000378:metabolism; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded / Q000235:genetics; D012996:Solutions; D013816:Thermodynamics; D014162:Transfection; D014867:Water / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003451:Cryoprotective Agents; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded; D012996:Solutions; D014867:Water; D051400:Aquaporin 3; D019946:Propylene Glycol