What did Peter Agre discover?
aquaporin water channels
Peter C. Agre, an American Society of Nephrology member, is the recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery of the aquaporin water channels.
What was Peter Agre’s intentional discovery in 1992?
While studying RhD, Agre’s team serendipitously discovered a 28 kilodalton red cell membrane protein.
How did Peter Agre discover aquaporins?
In 1988 Agre was able to isolate a type of protein molecule in the cell membrane that he later came to realize was the long-sought water channel. His research included comparing how cells with and without the protein in their membranes responded when placed in a water solution. Agre named the protein aquaporin.
Who found aquaporin?
Peter Agre
As is often the case in science, the secret of the water channel was eventually discovered by chance in 1992 by Peter Agre and his colleagues at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, who were working on red blood cell membrane proteins.
What is an aquaporins purpose?
The primary function of most aquaporins is to transport water across cell membranes in response to osmotic gradients created by active solute transport.
What happens if aquaporins stop working?
When plant aquaporins are silenced, the hydraulic conductance and photosynthesis of the leaf decrease. When gating of plant aquaporins occurs, it stops the flow of water through the pore of the protein.
Who won the Chemistry Nobel Prize in 2003 and for what discoveries?
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2003 “for discoveries concerning channels in cell membranes”, with one half of the prize to Peter Agre “for the discovery of water channels” and one half of the prize to Roderick MacKinnon “for structural and mechanistic studies …
Why is the discovery of aquaporins important?
The 1992 discovery of aquaporins by Peter Agre, membrane proteins facilitating water transport in and out of cells, was deemed so important that Agre was awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry (together with Roderick MacKinnon for his discovery of ion channels).
When did Peter Agre discover the first aquaporin?
1990
For a long time no one knew what these water canals looked like, but in 1990 Peter Agre succeeded in isolating a protein that he proved was the sought-after water canal. The protein was given the name aquaporin.
Can water cross the cell membrane without aquaporins?
Concerning the pathways for water movement across the plasma membrane, we consider the lipid bilayer, water-selective pores (aquaporins – AQPs), nonselective larger pores, ion channels and membrane carriers. Low water permeability occurs when there is no aquaporin expression and membrane is rich in cholesterol.
What is the peculiarity of the aquaporins?
Aquaporins are intrinsic membrane proteins characterized by six transmembrane helices that selectively allow water or other small uncharged molecules to pass along the osmotic gradient. Aquaporin-related proteins are found in all organisms, from archaea to mammals.
Can water enter cells without aquaporins?
Water is a charged molecule, so it cannot get through the lipid part of the bilayer. In order to allow water to move in and out, cells have special proteins that act as a doorway. These proteins are called aquaporins (aqua = water, porin = pore).
Who is Peter Agre and what did he discover?
Peter Agre. Written By: Peter Agre, (born January 30, 1949, Northfield, Minnesota, U.S.), American doctor, corecipient of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2003 for his discovery of water channels in cell membranes.
What did John Agre do at Johns Hopkins?
In 1981, Agre returned to the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine to join the lab of Vann Bennett in the Department of Cell Biology. In 1984, Agre was recruited onto the faculty of the Department of Medicine led by Victor A. McKusick. He subsequently joined the Department of Biological Chemistry led by Dan Lane.
What did Agre and Mackinnon win the Nobel Prize for?
In 2003, Agre and Roderick MacKinnon shared the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for “discoveries concerning channels in cell membranes.” Agre was recognized for his discovery of aquaporin water channels.
Why does Peter Agre wear a Johns Hopkins tie?
Peter Agre in 2009 presenting his Johns Hopkins necktie to the Vice President of the DPRK State Academy of Science. The tie worn by Agre during his 2003 Nobel lecture in Stockholm is to be presented to the first DPRK scientist who wins a Nobel Prize.