[Optimal permeability of aquaporins: a question of shape?].
Aquaporins are transmembrane proteins, ubiquitous in the human body. Inserted into the cell membranes, they play an important role in filtration, absorption and secretion of fluids. However, the excellent compromise between selectivity and permeability of aquaporins remains elusive. In this review, we focus on the hourglass shape of aquaporins, and we investigate its influence on water permeability, using numerical calculations and a simple theoretical model. We show that there is an optimum opening angle that maximizes the hydrodynamic permeability, and whose value is close to the angles observed in aquaporins.
Institut lumière matière, UMR5306 université Lyon 1-CNRS, université de Lyon, 3, boulevard du 11 novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne, France.
Simon
S
Gravelle
Institut lumière matière, UMR5306 université Lyon 1-CNRS, université de Lyon, 3, boulevard du 11 novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne, France.
Laurent
L
Joly
Institut lumière matière, UMR5306 université Lyon 1-CNRS, université de Lyon, 3, boulevard du 11 novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne, France.
François
F
Detcheverry
Institut lumière matière, UMR5306 université Lyon 1-CNRS, université de Lyon, 3, boulevard du 11 novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne, France.
Christophe
C
Ybert
Institut lumière matière, UMR5306 université Lyon 1-CNRS, université de Lyon, 3, boulevard du 11 novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne, France.
Cécile
C
Cottin-Bizonne
Institut lumière matière, UMR5306 université Lyon 1-CNRS, université de Lyon, 3, boulevard du 11 novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne, France - Laboratoire de Physique Statistique, UMR CNRS 8550, École Normale Supérieure, 24, rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France.
Lydéric
L
Bocquet
D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D020346:Aquaporins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability; D006801:Humans; D057446:Hydrodynamics; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D011487:Protein Conformation; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014867:Water / Q000378:metabolism
D020346:Aquaporins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D014867:Water