From genome to function: the Arabidopsis aquaporins |
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Authors: | Francoise Quigley Joshua M Rosenberg Yair Shachar-Hill Hans J Bohnert |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, University of Arizona, 85721, Tucson, AZ, USA 3. Laboratoire de Génetique Moléculaire des Plantes, UMR CNRS 5575, Université Joseph Fourier, 38041, Grenoble, France 2. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, New Mexico State University, 88011, Las Cruces, NM, USA 4. Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois, 61801, Urbana, IL, USA
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Abstract: | Background In the post-genomic era newly sequenced genomes can be used to deduce organismal functions from our knowledge of other systems. Here we apply this approach to analyzing the aquaporin gene family in Arabidopsis thaliana. The aquaporins are intrinsic membrane proteins that have been characterized as facilitators of water flux. Originally termed major intrinsic proteins (MIPs), they are now also known as water channels, glycerol facilitators and aqua-glyceroporins, yet recent data suggest that they facilitate the movement of other low-molecular-weight metabolites as well. Results The Arabidopsis genome contains 38 sequences with homology to aquaporin in four subfamilies, termed PIP, TIP, NIP and SIP. We have analyzed aquaporin family structure and expression using the A. thaliana genome sequence, and introduce a new NMR approach for the purpose of analyzing water movement in plant roots in vivo. Conclusions Our preliminary data indicate a strongly transcellular component for the flux of water in roots. |
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