Aquaporin-Mediated Water Transport in Renal Epithelial Cells
Summary
Aquaporins are integral membrane proteins that facilitate rapid and selective water transport across cell membranes. In the kidney, aquaporin-2 (AQP2) and aquaporin-3 (AQP3) play pivotal roles in fine-tuning body water homeostasis by controlling water permeability of collecting duct principal cells. Following antidiuretic hormone stimulation, AQP2 is shuttled from intracellular vesicles to the apical membrane, whereas AQP3 resides on the basolateral side to allow water exit into the interstitium. This coordinated trafficking is regulated by phosphorylation events, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signalling and interactions with the cytoskeleton. Beyond vasopressin-dependent pathways, cellular energy status and hormonal modulators such as selective oestrogen receptor modulators can influence aquaporin abundance and localisation. Advances in genome engineering have yielded improved in vitro models for dissecting the molecular machinery governing aquaporin expression, trafficking and degradation. Dysregulation of these processes underlies water balance disorders including nephrogenic diabetes insipidus and syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis. Ongoing research seeks to exploit alternative signalling cascades and novel pharmacological targets to restore or modulate aquaporin function in disease settings, while emerging model systems promise to accelerate translational discovery.
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Aquaporin-Mediated Water Transport in Renal Epithelial Cells publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in aquaporin-mediated water transport in renal epithelial cells across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Aquaporin (AQP): A family of water-channel proteins that facilitate rapid transmembrane water movement.
Collecting duct principal cell: Renal epithelial cell type responsible for hormone-regulated water reabsorption in the distal nephron.
Vasopressin type 2 receptor (V2R): G-protein-coupled receptor that mediates antidiuretic hormone effects on aquaporin trafficking via cAMP signalling.
Phosphorylation: Covalent attachment of a phosphate group to specific amino acids, regulating protein activity and localisation.
AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK): Energy-sensing enzyme that coordinates cellular metabolism in response to changes in ATP levels.
CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering: Precision gene-editing technology used to introduce or correct specific DNA sequences in model cell lines.
References
- Disruption of mitochondrial electron transport impairs urinary concentration via AMPK-dependent suppression of aquaporin-2. JCI Insight (2024).
- Tamoxifen Affects Aquaporin-3 Expression and Subcellular Localization in Rat and Human Renal Collecting Ducts. Cells (2023).
- Genome-Engineered mpkCCDc14 Cells as a New Resource for Studying AQP2. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2023).
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