PBIO SEMINAR SERIES

Structure of the aquaporin-0 mediated membrane junction

Wednesday - January 31, 2007
06-07 Seminar Series

Tamir Gonen
University of Washington
Speaker's website

Host: Zagotta

We present the structure of aquaporin 0, a water channel only found in the eye lens, and has two distinct functions: it forms a water selective pore in membranes, and acts as an adhesive protein in double membranes, forming cell to cell membrane junctions. We used electron crystallography to determine the structure of junctional aquaporin 0 to 1.9A resolution. When aquaporin-0 junction form, the water channels close and retain only three water molecules. Lipids mediate lateral crystal contacts in our two dimensional crystals. We present the structure of a eukaryotic membrane surrounding the protein.