Aquaporins: multiple roles in the central nervous system.
Aquaporins (AQPs) represent a diverse family of membrane proteins found in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The primary aquaporins expressed in the mammalian brain are AQP1, which is densely packed in choroid plexus cells lining the ventricles, and AQP4, which is abundant in astrocytes and concentrated especially in the end-feet structures that surround capillaries throughout the brain and are present in glia limitans structures, notably in osmosensory areas such the supraoptic nucleus. Water movement in brain tissues is carefully regulated from the micro- to macroscopic levels, with aquaporins serving key roles as multifunctional elements of complex signaling assemblies. Intriguing possibilities suggest links for AQP1 in Alzheimer's disease, AQP4 as a target for therapy in brain edema, and a possible contribution of AQP9 in Parkinson's disease. For all the aquaporins, new contributions to physiological functions are likely to continue to be discovered with ongoing work in this rapidly expanding field of research.
Yool
Andrea J
AJ
Department of Physiology, The BIO5 Institute, and the Arizona Research Laboratories Division of Neurobiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 84724, USA. andrea.yool@adelaide.edu.au
D000818:Animals; D051398:Aquaporin 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D020346:Aquaporins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000502:physiology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000502:physiology; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000502:physiology; D014867:Water / Q000378:metabolism; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance / Q000502:physiology
C109669:AQP9 protein, human; D020346:Aquaporins; D007473:Ion Channels; D015221:Potassium Channels; D014867:Water; D051398:Aquaporin 1