水分子通道蛋白的结构与功能

水分子穿越双磷脂生物膜的输运机理是生理学和细胞生物学中一个长期未能解决的重要问题.AQP1水通道蛋白的发现和鉴定使得人们确认出一个新的蛋白质家族--水通道蛋白家族.正是这一蛋白家族的存在,使得水分子可以进行快速的跨膜传输.由晶体学方法解出的哺乳动物AQP1水通道蛋白的原子结构,最终揭示了水通道蛋白只允许水分子快速传输而阻挡其他的小分子和离子(包括质子H+)的筛选输运机理.本文概述了水通道蛋白的发现和其对水分子的筛选传输机理.

Structure and Mechanism of Water Channels

The mechanism of water transport across biological membranes has been a longstanding problem in physiology and cell biology. The discovery and characterization of the AQP1 water channel protein leads to the identification of the aquaporin family of water channels which is responsible for the water permeability of biological membranes. The atomic structure of mammalian AQP1 reveals how this family of proteins transports water molecules, but not other small molecules and ions (including protons), rapidly across cell membranes. This review summarizes the discovery of water channel proteins and their mechanism of water-specific transport.