Aquaporins
aquaporins
Aquaporins are integral membrane proteins from a larger family of major intrinsic proteins (MIP) that form pores in the membrane of biological cells.  Genetic defects involving aquaporin genes have been associated with several human diseases. The 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded jointly to Peter Agre for the discovery of aquaporins, and Roderick MacKinnon for his work on the structure and mechanism of potassium channels. The plasma membranes of a variety of different animal and plant cells contain aquaporins through which water can flow more rapidly inside the cell than by diffusing through the phospholipid bilayer.