Physiological and pathological impact of AQP1 knockout in mice

Aquaporin 1 (AQP1) is a glycoprotein responsible for water passive transport quickly across biological membrane. Here, we reviewed the structural and functional impacts of AQP1 knockout (AQP1-KO) in animal or cell culture models. AQP1 gene deletion can cause a large number of abnormalities including the disturbance in epithelial fluid secretion, polyhydramnios, deficiency of urinary concentrating function, and impairment of pain perception. AQP1-KO mice also displayed aberrations of cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary, and kidney functions as well as placenta and embryo development. Moreover, AQP1-KO perturbed tumor angiogenesis and led to reduced brain injury upon trauma. On the cellular level, AQP1-KO caused neuroinflammation, aberrant cell proliferation and migration, and macrophages infiltration. Mechanistic studies confirmed that AQP1 gene products regulate the secretory function and participated in balancing the osmotic water flux across the peritoneal membrane. The available data indicated that AQP1 might serve as a potential target for developing novel therapeutic approaches against diverse human diseases.