[Functional Genomics Center Seminar ]
  
    
 ▶Subject: Control of trans-cellular water flow by aquaporins
 
 ▶Speaker: Prof. Maarten Chrispeels (University of California  San Diego)
         
 ▶Date: 4:00PM/Sept./29(Mon)/2014
        
 ▶Place: Life Science Bldg. #104

 *Abctract

Aquaporins are membrane proteins that enhance the flow of water through cellular membranes. In plants they form a small gene family with 35 members. Some aquaporins also transport certain neutral solutes. Regulation of transcellular water flow occurs at the plasma membrane where some 10 different aqauporins may be present. Aquaporins are tetramers of 27 kD proteins, but each monomer transports water. Aquaporin abundance is regulated at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Aquaporins are synthesized on the ER, and specific amino acid motifs permit the progression to the Golgi apparatus and beyond, to the plasma membrane. Aquaporins that lack these domains may still be transported because they can occur in heterotetramers. Sorting of plasma membrane from tonoplast aquaporins occurs in the trans Golgi network.  Retrieval of aquaporins from the plasma membrane is accomplished by endosomes and shjuttling of aquaporins between the plasma membrane and the endosomes requires the participation of specific syntaxins required to make active SNARE complexes for membrane fusion.
Aquaporin regulation appears to be so complex that there are as yet no applications of aquaporin technology to create plants that consume less water for crop production.

 ▶Inquiry: Prof. Youngsook Lee (279-2296)
       
   * This seminar will be given in English