| RESEARCH |
Scientists predicted the existence of channels for transporting water across membranes more than a century ago. But it wasn’t until 1991 that Agre stumbled upon a small membrane-spanning protein in red blood cells that turned out to be the first member of a large class of water channels that he dubbed aquaporins. Since then, he and others have shown that aquaporin proteins control water transport in most plants and nearly a dozen human tissues. The aquaporin proteins found in kidneys provide a striking example of this action. Although humans generate the equivalent of about 45 gal of urine a day, aquaporins ensure that most of the water is reabsorbed into the body—leaving only about a quart to be excreted. |
| COMMENTS | Robert Stroud, a professor of biochemistry and biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco, calls Agre’s contributions “stellar. He discovered that aquaporins exist, showed us where they are found, predicted how they work, and related many human mutations in these proteins to specific diseases. He really deserves this prize.” |
| UPDATE | 10.03 |
| AUTHOR | professor of biological chemistry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine |
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