Aquaporins as facilitator for CO2 diffusion

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Ralf Kaldenhoff
• Subject Area: Plant Biochemistry and Biophysics
• Term: from 2007 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 39870975

• Final Report Year: 2017

Final Report Abstract

A comparative functional analysis of modified PIP1 and PIP2 aquaporins revealed that N- as well as C-terminus of the proteins play a role in specificity for water- or CO2-diffusion. Study on in vitro systems lead to an extended understanding about the mechanism of water or CO2 diffusion through bio-membranes. The results emphasize the significance of aquaporin-dependent diffusion of these molecules. In addition, it is suggested that the black-lipid-bilayer model is in many cases not an appropriate model for cell membranes.

Publications

• (2014). "A refined model of water and CO2 membrane diffusion: Effects and contribution of sterols and proteins." Sci Rep 4
  Kai, L. and R. Kaldenhoff
  (See online at https://doi.org/10.1038/srep06665)
• (2014). "Aquaporins and membrane diffusion of CO2 in living organisms." Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta-General Subjects 1840(5): 1592-1595
  Kaldenhoff, R., et al.
  (See online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbagen.2013.09.037)
• (2014). "Expression and characterization of plasma membrane aquaporins in stomatal complexes of Zea mays." Plant Molecular Biology 86(3): 335-350
  Heinen, R. B., et al.
  (See online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11103-014-0232-7)
• (2015). "The enhanced drought tolerance of rice plants under ammonium is related to aquaporin (AQP)." Plant Science 234: 14-21
  Ding, L., et al.
  (See online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2015.01.016)