Electron crystallography of aquaporins.

ABSTRACT: Aquaporins are a family of ubiquitous membrane proteins that form a pore for the permeation of water. Both electron and X-ray crystallography played major roles in determining the atomic structures of a number of aquaporins. This review focuses on electron crystallography, and its contribution to the field of aquaporin biology. We briefly discuss electron crystallography and the two-dimensional crystallization process. We describe features of aquaporins common to both electron and X-ray crystallographic structures; as well as some structural insights unique to electron crystallography, including aquaporin junction formation and lipid-protein interactions.

SUBMITTER: Andrews S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2690706 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature