Download MendeleyVisualization of a water-selective pore by electron crystallography in vitreous ice.
Ren, G., Reddy, V.S., Cheng, A., Melnyk, P., Mitra, A.K.(2001) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 98: 1398-1403
- PubMed: 11171962
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.98.4.1398
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
1IH5 - PubMed Abstract:
The water-selective pathway through the aquaporin-1 membrane channel has been visualized by fitting an atomic model to a 3.7-A resolution three-dimensional density map. This map was determined by analyzing images and electron diffraction patterns of lipid-reconstituted two-dimensional crystals of aquaporin-1 preserved in vitrified buffer in the absence of any additive. The aqueous pathway is characterized by a size-selective pore that is approximately 4.0 +/- 0.5A in diameter, spans a length of approximately 18A, and bends by approximately 25 degrees as it traverses the bilayer. This narrow pore is connected by wide, funnel-shaped openings at the extracellular and cytoplasmic faces. The size-selective pore is outlined mostly by hydrophobic residues, resulting in a relatively inert pathway conducive to diffusion-limited water flow. The apex of the curved pore is close to the locations of the in-plane pseudo-2-fold symmetry axis that relates the N- and C-terminal halves and the conserved, functionally important N76 and N192 residues.
Organizational Affiliation:
Department of Cell Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
