Appearance of Water Channels in Xenopus Oocytes Expressing Red Cell CHIP28 Protein

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Date
1992-04-17
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Abstract
Water rapidly crosses the plasma membrane of red blood cells (RBCs) and renal tubules through specialized channels. Although selective for water, the molecular structure of these channels is unknown. The CHIP28 protein is an abundant integral membrane protein in mammalian RBCs and renal proximal tubules and belongs to a family of membrane proteins with unknown functions. Oocytes from Xenopus laevis microinjected with in vitro-transcribed CHIP28 RNA exhibited increased osmotic water permeability; this was reversibly inhibited by mercuric chloride, a known inhibitor of water channels. Therefore it is likely that CHIP28 is a functional unit of membrane water channels.
Description
Keywords
Water/metabolism, Oocytes/metabolism, Membrane Proteins/physiology, Erythrocyte Membrane/metabolism, Aquaporins
Citation
Science 17 April 1992: Vol. 256. no. 5055, pp. 385 - 387 DOI: 10.1126/science.256.5055.385
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