Water Channels

Kidney International (1995) 48, 1069–1081; doi:10.1038/ki.1995.390

Structure and function of kidney water channels

A S Verkman, Lan-Bo Shi, Antonio Frigeri, Hajime Hasegawa, Javier Farinas, Alok Mitra, William Skach, Dennis Brown, Alfred N van Hoek and Tonghui Ma

Departments of Medicine and Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, and Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California; and Renal Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Correspondence: AS Verkman MD PhD, 1246 Health Sciences East Tower, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-0521, USA. Phone 415-476-8530; Fax 415-665-3847.

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Abstract

Structure and function of kidney water channels. There is now firm evidence that water transporting proteins are expressed in renal and extrarenal tissues. In the kidney, proximal-type (CHIP28) and collecting duct (WCH-CD) water channels have been identified. We have cloned three kidney cDNAs with homology to the water channel (aquaporin) family, including a mercurial-insensitive water channel (MIWC), and a glycerol-transporting protein (GLIP) in collecting duct basolateral membrane. To elucidate water transporting mechanisms, a series of molecular and spectroscopic studies were carried out on purified CHIP28 protein and expressed chimeric and mutated CHIP28 cDNAs. The results indicate that CHIP28 transports water selectively, that CHIP28 monomers are assembled in membranes as tetramers, but that individual monomers function independently. Monomers contain multiple membrane-spanning helical domains. Based on these data and recent electron crystallography results, a model for water transport is proposed in which water moves through narrow pores located within individual CHIP28 monomers.

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