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Ozu M, Alvear-Arias JJ, Fernandez M, Caviglia A, Peña-Pichicoi A, Carrillo C, Carmona E, Otero-Gonzalez A, Garate JA, Amodeo G, Gonzalez C. Aquaporin Gating: A New Twist to Unravel Permeation through Water Channels. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:12317. [PMID: 36293170 PMCID: PMC9604103 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232012317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Aquaporins (AQPs) are small transmembrane tetrameric proteins that facilitate water, solute and gas exchange. Their presence has been extensively reported in the biological membranes of almost all living organisms. Although their discovery is much more recent than ion transport systems, different biophysical approaches have contributed to confirm that permeation through each monomer is consistent with closed and open states, introducing the term gating mechanism into the field. The study of AQPs in their native membrane or overexpressed in heterologous systems have experimentally demonstrated that water membrane permeability can be reversibly modified in response to specific modulators. For some regulation mechanisms, such as pH changes, evidence for gating is also supported by high-resolution structures of the water channel in different configurations as well as molecular dynamics simulation. Both experimental and simulation approaches sustain that the rearrangement of conserved residues contributes to occlude the cavity of the channel restricting water permeation. Interestingly, specific charged and conserved residues are present in the environment of the pore and, thus, the tetrameric structure can be subjected to alter the positions of these charges to sustain gating. Thus, is it possible to explore whether the displacement of these charges (gating current) leads to conformational changes? To our knowledge, this question has not yet been addressed at all. In this review, we intend to analyze the suitability of this proposal for the first time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Ozu
- Department of Biodiversity and Experimental Biology, Faculty of Exact & Natural Sciences, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1053, Argentina
- CONICET—Institute of Biodiversity and Experimental and Applied Biology CONICET (IBBEA), University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1053, Argentina
| | - Juan José Alvear-Arias
- Interdisciplinary Center of Neurosciences of Valparaiso, University of Valparaiso, CINV, Valparaíso 2360102, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus in NanoBioPhysics, Scientific and Technologic Center of Excellence of Science and Life, Santiago 7750000, Chile
| | - Miguel Fernandez
- Interdisciplinary Center of Neurosciences of Valparaiso, University of Valparaiso, CINV, Valparaíso 2360102, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus in NanoBioPhysics, Scientific and Technologic Center of Excellence of Science and Life, Santiago 7750000, Chile
| | - Agustín Caviglia
- CONICET—Institute of Biodiversity and Experimental and Applied Biology CONICET (IBBEA), University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1053, Argentina
| | - Antonio Peña-Pichicoi
- Interdisciplinary Center of Neurosciences of Valparaiso, University of Valparaiso, CINV, Valparaíso 2360102, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus in NanoBioPhysics, Scientific and Technologic Center of Excellence of Science and Life, Santiago 7750000, Chile
| | - Christian Carrillo
- Interdisciplinary Center of Neurosciences of Valparaiso, University of Valparaiso, CINV, Valparaíso 2360102, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus in NanoBioPhysics, Scientific and Technologic Center of Excellence of Science and Life, Santiago 7750000, Chile
| | - Emerson Carmona
- Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics Department and the Center for Membrane Protein Research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Anselmo Otero-Gonzalez
- Center of Protein Study, Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, La Habana 10400, Cuba
| | - José Antonio Garate
- Interdisciplinary Center of Neurosciences of Valparaiso, University of Valparaiso, CINV, Valparaíso 2360102, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus in NanoBioPhysics, Scientific and Technologic Center of Excellence of Science and Life, Santiago 7750000, Chile
- Faculty of Engineering and Technology, University of San Sebastian, Santiago 8420524, Chile
| | - Gabriela Amodeo
- Department of Biodiversity and Experimental Biology, Faculty of Exact & Natural Sciences, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1053, Argentina
- CONICET—Institute of Biodiversity and Experimental and Applied Biology CONICET (IBBEA), University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1053, Argentina
| | - Carlos Gonzalez
- Interdisciplinary Center of Neurosciences of Valparaiso, University of Valparaiso, CINV, Valparaíso 2360102, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus in NanoBioPhysics, Scientific and Technologic Center of Excellence of Science and Life, Santiago 7750000, Chile
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
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Pluhackova K, Schittny V, Bürkner P, Siligan C, Horner A. Multiple pore lining residues modulate water permeability of GlpF. Protein Sci 2022; 31:e4431. [PMID: 36173178 PMCID: PMC9490802 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The water permeability of aquaporins (AQPs) varies by more than an order of magnitude even though the pore structure, geometry, as well as the channel lining residues are highly conserved. However, channel gating by pH, divalent ions or phosphorylation was only shown for a minority of AQPs. Structural and in silico indications of water flux modulation by flexible side chains of channel lining residues have not been experimentally confirmed yet. Hence, the aquaporin "open state" is still considered to be a continuously open pore with water molecules permeating in a single-file fashion. Using protein mutations outside the selectivity filter in the aqua(glycerol)facilitator GlpF of Escherichia coli we, to the best of our knowledge, for the first time, modulate the position of the highly conserved Arg in the selectivity filter. This in turn enhances or reduces the unitary water permeability of GlpF as shown in silico by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and in vitro with purified and reconstituted GlpF. This finding suggests that AQP water permeability can indeed be regulated by lipid bilayer asymmetry and the transmembrane potential. Strikingly, our long-term MD simulations reveal that not only the conserved Arg in the selectivity filter, but the position and dynamics of multiple other pore lining residues modulate water passage through GlpF. This finding is expected to trigger a wealth of future investigations on permeability and regulation of AQPs among others with the aim to tune water permeability for biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristyna Pluhackova
- Stuttgart Center for Simulation Science, Cluster of Excellence EXC 2075University of StuttgartStuttgartGermany
| | - Valentin Schittny
- Department of Biosystems Science and EngineeringEidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) ZurichBaselSwitzerland
| | - Paul‐Christian Bürkner
- Stuttgart Center for Simulation Science, Cluster of Excellence EXC 2075University of StuttgartStuttgartGermany
| | | | - Andreas Horner
- Institute of BiophysicsJohannes Kepler UniversityLinzAustria
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Desiderato A, Mamos T, Rewicz T, Burzynski A, Mucciolo S. First Glimpse at the Diverse Aquaporins of Amphipod Crustaceans. Cells 2021; 10:3417. [PMID: 34943925 PMCID: PMC8699810 DOI: 10.3390/cells10123417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The importance of aquaporins (AQPs) in the transport of water and solutes through cell membranes is well recognized despite being relatively new. To date, despite their abundance, diversity, and presence in disparate environments, amphipods have only been mentioned in studies about the AQPs of other animals and have never been further investigated. In this work, we aimed to recover from public data available AQPs of these crustaceans and reconstruct phylogenetic affinities. We first performed BLAST searches with several queries of diverse taxa against different NCBI databases. Then, we selected the clades of AQPs retrieving the amphipod superfamily Gammaroidea as monophyletic and ran phylogenetic analyses to assess their performances. Our results show how most of the AQPs of amphipods are similar to those of other crustaceans, despite the Prip-like displayed different paralogs, and report for the first time a putative Aqp8-like for arthropods. We also found that the candidate genes of Prip-like, Bib-like, Aqp12-like, and Glp-like help solve deeper relationships in phylogenies of amphipods while leaving uncertainties in shallower parts. With our findings, we hope to increase attention to the study of amphipods as models for AQP functioning and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Desiderato
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, University of Lodz, Banacha 12/16, 90-237 Łódź, Poland; (T.M.); (T.R.); (S.M.)
| | - Tomasz Mamos
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, University of Lodz, Banacha 12/16, 90-237 Łódź, Poland; (T.M.); (T.R.); (S.M.)
| | - Tomasz Rewicz
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, University of Lodz, Banacha 12/16, 90-237 Łódź, Poland; (T.M.); (T.R.); (S.M.)
| | - Artur Burzynski
- Department of Genetics and Marine Biotechnology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Powstańców Warszawy 55, 81-712 Sopot, Poland;
| | - Serena Mucciolo
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, University of Lodz, Banacha 12/16, 90-237 Łódź, Poland; (T.M.); (T.R.); (S.M.)
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Ebrahimi M, Foroutan M. High-Performance Biomimetic Water Channel: The Constructive Interplay of Interaction Parameters and Hydrophilic Doping Levels. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:11566-11581. [PMID: 34615355 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c04507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we introduce a superfast biomimetic water channel mimicking the hydrophobicity scales of the Aquaporin (AQP) pore lining. Molecular dynamics simulation is used to scrutinize the impact of hydrophilic doping level in the nanotube and the water-wall interaction strength on water permeability. In the designed biomimetic channel, the constructive interplay of Lennard-Jones (LJ) ε parameters and hydrophilic doping levels increased the possibility of ultrafast water transport. Moreover, a unique set of LJ parameters is discovered for each biomimetic channel with different hydrophilic doping levels, enhancing water permeation. Inside high-performance biomimetic channels, water distribution surprisingly implies a varying pore geometry that narrows down in the middle, mimicking the pattern obtained from GplF pore analysis, evoking the narrow pore induced by the aromatic/arginine selectivity filter. This exciting accordance occurred as a result of tailoring specific hydrophilic arrays within the hydrophobic channel backbone by mimicking the AQP pore interior. The main takeaway of hydrophilic doping arrays implanted within the hydrophobic nanotube is to break the large barrier in the water-wall vdW energy profile into multiple reduced ones to increase water conduction. Consequently, the "water jumping" phenomenon in the middle of the biomimetic channel occurs under specific circumstances. The biomimetic channel with the highest value of water permeability of about 13.67 ± 0.66 × 10-13 cm3·s-1 exhibits the best mechanism for artificial water channels (AWCs), serving superfast water transport considering the low entrance barrier and weak water-wall interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mina Ebrahimi
- Department of Physical Chemistry, School of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran 1417935840, Iran
| | - Masumeh Foroutan
- Department of Physical Chemistry, School of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran 1417935840, Iran
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Abstract
Aquaporins (AQPs) are membrane channel proteins that facilitate the movement of water down osmotic gradients across biological membranes. This protocol allows measurements of AQP-mediated water transport across the plasma membrane of live mammalian cells. Calcein is a fluorescent dye that is quenched in a concentration-dependent manner. Therefore, on short timescales, its concentration-dependent fluorescence can be used as a probe of cell volume, and therefore a probe of water transport into or out of cells. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Kitchen et al. (2020) and Kitchen and Conner (2015). For the underlying methodology development, please refer to Fenton et al. (2010) and Solenov et al. (2004).
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Kitchen P, Salman MM, Pickel SU, Jennings J, Törnroth-Horsefield S, Conner MT, Bill RM, Conner AC. Water channel pore size determines exclusion properties but not solute selectivity. Sci Rep 2019; 9:20369. [PMID: 31889130 PMCID: PMC6937295 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-56814-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Aquaporins (AQPs) are a ubiquitous family of transmembrane water channel proteins. A subgroup of AQP water channels also facilitates transmembrane diffusion of small, polar solutes. A constriction within the pore, the aromatic/arginine (ar/R) selectivity filter, is thought to control solute permeability: previous studies on single representative water channel proteins suggest narrow channels conduct water, whilst wider channels permit passage of solutes. To assess this model of selectivity, we used mutagenesis, permeability measurements and in silico comparisons of water-specific as well as glycerol-permeable human AQPs. Our studies show that single amino acid substitutions in the selectivity filters of AQP1, AQP4 and AQP3 differentially affect glycerol and urea permeability in an AQP-specific manner. Comparison between in silico-calculated channel cross-sectional areas and in vitro permeability measurements suggests that selectivity filter cross-sectional area predicts urea but not glycerol permeability. Our data show that substrate discrimination in water channels depends on a complex interplay between the solute, pore size, and polarity, and that using single water channel proteins as representative models has led to an underestimation of this complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Kitchen
- School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK.
| | - Mootaz M Salman
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, and Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Simone U Pickel
- Institute of Physiology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Jordan Jennings
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | | | - Matthew T Conner
- School of Biology, Chemistry and Forensic Science, University of Wolverhampton, Wulfruna St, Wolverhampton, UK
| | - Roslyn M Bill
- School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK
| | - Alex C Conner
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
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Roy P, Ghosh B, Chatterjee P, Sengupta N. Cosolvent Impurities in SWCNT Nanochannel Confinement: Length Dependence of Water Dynamics Investigated with Atomistic Simulations. J Chem Inf Model 2019; 59:2026-2034. [PMID: 30908024 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.8b00889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The advent of nanotechnology has seen a growing interest in the nature of fluid flow and transport under nanoconfinement. The present study leverages fully atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the effect of nanochannel length and intrusion of molecules of the organic solvent, hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP), on the dynamical characteristics of water within it. Favorable interactions of HFIP with the nanochannels comprised of single-walled carbon nanotubes traps them over time scales greater than 100 ns, and confinement confers small but distinguishable spatial redistribution between neighboring HFIP pairs. Water molecules within the nanochannels show clear signatures of dynamical slowdown relative to bulk water even for pure systems. The presence of HFIP causes further rotational and translational slowdown in waters when the nanochannel dimension falls below a critical length of 30 Å. The enhanced slowdown in the presence of HFIP is quantified from characteristic relaxation parameters and diffusion coefficients in the absence and presence of HFIP. It is finally seen that the net flow of water between the ends of the nanochannel shows a decreasing dependence with nanochannel length only when the number of HFIP molecules is small. These results lend insights into devising ways of modulating solvent properties within nanochannels with cosolvent impurities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priti Roy
- Department of Biological Sciences , Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata , Mohanpur 741 246 , India
| | - Brataraj Ghosh
- Department of Biological Sciences , Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata , Mohanpur 741 246 , India
| | - Prathit Chatterjee
- Advanced Polymer Lab in association with Polymer Research Centre , IISER Kolkata, ADO ADDITIVES MFG PVT. LTD. , 201/A, Nadibhag 2nd Lane , Madhyamgram, Kolkata 700 128 , India
| | - Neelanjana Sengupta
- Department of Biological Sciences , Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata , Mohanpur 741 246 , India.,Centre for Advanced Functional Materials (CAFM) , Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata , Mohanpur 741 246 , India
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Abir-Awan M, Kitchen P, Salman MM, Conner MT, Conner AC, Bill RM. Inhibitors of Mammalian Aquaporin Water Channels. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20071589. [PMID: 30934923 PMCID: PMC6480248 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20071589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Revised: 03/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Aquaporins (AQPs) are water channel proteins that are essential to life, being expressed in all kingdoms. In humans, there are 13 AQPs, at least one of which is found in every organ system. The structural biology of the AQP family is well-established and many functions for AQPs have been reported in health and disease. AQP expression is linked to numerous pathologies including tumor metastasis, fluid dysregulation, and traumatic injury. The targeted modulation of AQPs therefore presents an opportunity to develop novel treatments for diverse conditions. Various techniques such as video microscopy, light scattering and fluorescence quenching have been used to test putative AQP inhibitors in both AQP-expressing mammalian cells and heterologous expression systems. The inherent variability within these methods has caused discrepancy and many molecules that are inhibitory in one experimental system (such as tetraethylammonium, acetazolamide, and anti-epileptic drugs) have no activity in others. Some heavy metal ions (that would not be suitable for therapeutic use) and the compound, TGN-020, have been shown to inhibit some AQPs. Clinical trials for neuromyelitis optica treatments using anti-AQP4 IgG are in progress. However, these antibodies have no effect on water transport. More research to standardize high-throughput assays is required to identify AQP modulators for which there is an urgent and unmet clinical need.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Abir-Awan
- School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK.
| | - Philip Kitchen
- School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK.
| | - Mootaz M Salman
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Matthew T Conner
- Research Institute of Health Sciences, School of Sciences, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton WV1 1LY, UK.
| | - Alex C Conner
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
| | - Roslyn M Bill
- School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK.
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Therapeutic effects of Euphorbia Pekinensis and Glycyrrhiza glabra on Hepatocellular Carcinoma Ascites Partially Via Regulating the Frk-Arhgdib-Inpp5d-Avpr2-Aqp4 Signal Axis. Sci Rep 2017; 7:41925. [PMID: 28165501 PMCID: PMC5292954 DOI: 10.1038/srep41925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2016] [Accepted: 01/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
To clarify unknown rationalities of herbaceous compatibility of Euphorbia Pekinensis (DJ) and Glycyrrhiza glabra (GC) acting on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ascites, peritoneum transcriptomics profiling of 15 subjects, including normal control (Con), HCC ascites mouse model (Mod), DJ-alone, DJ/GC-synergy and DJ/GC-antagonism treatment groups were performed on OneArray platform, followed by differentially expressed genes (DEGs) screening. DEGs between Mod and Con groups were considered as HCC ascites-related genes, and those among different drug treatment and Mod groups were identified as DJ/GC-combination-related genes. Then, an interaction network of HCC ascites-related gene-DJ/GC combination-related gene-known therapeutic target gene for ascites was constructed. Based on nodes’ degree, closeness, betweenness and k-coreness, the Frk-Arhgdib-Inpp5d-Avpr2-Aqp4 axis with highly network topological importance was demonstrated to be a candidate target of DJ/GC combination acting on HCC ascites. Importantly, both qPCR and western blot analyses verified this regulatory effects based on HCC ascites mice in vivo and M-1 collecting duct cells in vitro. Collectively, different combination designs of DJ and GC may lead to synergistic or antagonistic effects on HCC ascites partially via regulating the Frk-Arhgdib-Inpp5d-Avpr2-Aqp4 axis, implying that global gene expression profiling combined with network analysis can offer an effective way to understand pharmacological mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions.
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English NJ, Garate JA. Near-microsecond human aquaporin 4 gating dynamics in static and alternating external electric fields: Non-equilibrium molecular dynamics. J Chem Phys 2016; 145:085102. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4961072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Niall J. English
- School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - José-A. Garate
- Computational Biology Laboratory, Life Sciences Foundation, Santiago, Chile
- Centro Interdisciplinario de neurociencia de Valparaiso, Universidad de Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
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Mangiatordi GF, Alberga D, Trisciuzzi D, Lattanzi G, Nicolotti O. Human Aquaporin-4 and Molecular Modeling: Historical Perspective and View to the Future. Int J Mol Sci 2016; 17:ijms17071119. [PMID: 27420052 PMCID: PMC4964494 DOI: 10.3390/ijms17071119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2016] [Revised: 06/30/2016] [Accepted: 07/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Among the different aquaporins (AQPs), human aquaporin-4 (hAQP4) has attracted the greatest interest in recent years as a new promising therapeutic target. Such a membrane protein is, in fact, involved in a multiple sclerosis-like immunopathology called Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) and in several disorders resulting from imbalanced water homeostasis such as deafness and cerebral edema. The gap of knowledge in its functioning and dynamics at the atomistic level of detail has hindered the development of rational strategies for designing hAQP4 modulators. The application, lately, of molecular modeling has proved able to fill this gap providing a breeding ground to rationally address compounds targeting hAQP4. In this review, we give an overview of the important advances obtained in this field through the application of Molecular Dynamics (MD) and other complementary modeling techniques. The case studies presented herein are discussed with the aim of providing important clues for computational chemists and biophysicists interested in this field and looking for new challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Felice Mangiatordi
- Dipartimento di Farmacia-Scienze del Farmaco, Via Orabona, 4, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70126 Bari, Italy.
| | - Domenico Alberga
- Institut de Recherche de Chimie Paris CNRS Chimie ParisTech, PSL Research University, 11 rue P. et M. Curie, F-75005 Paris, France.
| | - Daniela Trisciuzzi
- Dipartimento di Farmacia-Scienze del Farmaco, Via Orabona, 4, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70126 Bari, Italy.
| | - Gianluca Lattanzi
- INFN-Sez. di Bari and Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, University of Foggia, Viale Pinto, 71122 Foggia, Italy.
| | - Orazio Nicolotti
- Dipartimento di Farmacia-Scienze del Farmaco, Via Orabona, 4, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70126 Bari, Italy.
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