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A single aquaporin gene encodes a water/glycerol/urea facilitator in Toxoplasma gondii with similarity to plant tonoplast intrinsic proteins 1
Author(s) -
Pavlovic-Djuranovic Slavica,
Schultz Joachim E.,
Beitz Eric
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/s0014-5793(03)01313-9
Subject(s) - aquaporin , major facilitator superfamily , glycerol , toxoplasma gondii , biochemistry , biology , gene , water transport , translocon , chemistry , transporter , genetics , water flow , chromosomal translocation , environmental engineering , antibody , engineering
We describe a single aquaporin gene in Toxoplasma gondii which, surprisingly, has only 28% sequence similarity to the aquaglyceroporin of another apicomplexan parasite, Plasmodium falciparum . Sequence comparisons showed 47% similarity to water‐specific plant aquaporins and the conservation of typical pore‐forming residues. We established that the Toxoplasma aquaporin protein is a bifunctional membrane pore with intermediate water and high glycerol permeability. Furthermore, we identified hydroxyurea, an antineoplastic agent with inhibitory effects on parasite proliferation, as a permeant of this channel.