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Aquaporins as channels for CO2, O2 and H2O2

Subject Area Anatomy and Physiology
Term from 2018 to 2022
Project identifier Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 413120011
 
Final Report Year 2025

Final Report Abstract

During the reporting period, the O2 permeability (PO2) of lipid membranes and the significance of aquaporin 1 (AQP1) and aquaporin 5 (AQP5) for O2 transport through cell membranes were investigated. PO2 of lipid membranes was determined for three different temperatures (7°C, 25°C, 35°C) and for membranes with different cholesterol contents (0 - 60%) using the stoppedflow technique. PO2 was found to be strongly dependent on the cholesterol content. For all three temperatures, the membranes could be categorised into two groups. Membranes with a low cholesterol content (0 - 20%) had a low PO2 (e.g. 0.03 cm/s at 35°C), membranes with a high cholesterol content (40 - 60%) had a PO2 that was an order of magnitude higher (e.g. 0.2 cm/s at 35°C). The significance of AQP1 for PO2 of cell membranes was investigated in stopped flow measurements on human erythrocytes and mouse erythrocytes. The permeability of human control erythrocytes and wildtype mouse erythrocytes was compared with the permeability of AQP1-deficient human erythrocytes and AQP1-KO-mouse erythrocytes at different temperatures. It was found that at high temperatures (25°C, 37°C) AQP1 makes no significant contribution to the PO2 of the erythrocyte membrane. At low temperatures of 7°C and 10°C, the permeability of AQP1-deficient erythrocytes is significantly reduced. These results show that AQP1 is an O2-channel in the erythrocyte membrane, but only plays a functional role at low temperatures. In a further part of the project, the maximum oxygen uptake (V̇ O2,max) of wild-type mice and AQP5-KO mice was determined using the Helox- method. The V̇O2,max in AQP5-KO mice was significantly reduced compared to wild-type mice under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Although AQP5 is expressed in the alveolar membrane of mice and represents a potential gas channel, no differences between wildtype and AQP1-KO mice could be found in further investigations of lung parameters such as diffusion capacity and arterial oxygen saturation. AQP5 therefore plays no functional role in O2 transport through the alveolar barrier. In further investigations, a reduced formation of brown adipose tissue under cold adaptation in AQP5-KO-mice was found to be the cause of the reduced V̇O2,max. The formation of brown adipose tissue or the conversion of white into brown adipose tissue is increased by AQP5.

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