Education series: Aquaporin

By ML -
Everyday proteins - this is Aquaporin

Did you know that our kidney processes over 100 litres of water everyday? Under normal cell functioning conditions, a typical cell membrane will not be able facilitate so much water through the cell. Cells in the kidney need a special transport protein called Aquaporin to facilitate rapid transport of water in and out of the cell so that the kidney can perform its function in water reabsorption.


Fig 1. AQP-1 crystal structure from PDB:1IH5
Structure
Aquaporin is a tetrameric protein that consists of four identical monomers. Each monomer has six transmembrane α-helices arranged in a right-handed bundle and orient themselves alongside the other monomers to form four water channels (Fig. 1). The 3D printed model is obtained from the Protein Data Bank (PDB ID: 1FQY) and can be downloaded from our Thingiverse page. 

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:720113




3D Models
To highlight the uniqueness of this protein, download and print a 3D model for yourself or your class. As you rotate the model, notice the structural features of the molecule itself, its pore-like / channel-like structure with almost a hollow tunnel from one end of the molecule. Here are some pictures we have from our 3D printed model.

Fig 2. View of the "hollow" tunnel from one end


Fig 3. A channel-like 3D structure
As you can see, it's probably really hard to see the "features" of the molecule without actually printing itself so definitely grab hold of a 3D printer and see if you can get one printed for your class or share it with your friends and students.

Once you have printed your model, share them with your friends on your favorite social media site using #SE3Dproteins and tell everyone about this new molecule you just learnt about.

Okay, it may sound rather geeky but hey this is an important everyday protein that helps our body function! 


Reference
PDB ID: 1FQY


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