Investigations on the physiological role of C. elegans aquaporins.

在无脊椎动物中，水通道蛋白的功能和调节仍然是相当难以捉摸的。本项目的近期目标是揭示被广泛用作模式生物的秀丽隐杆线虫上皮组织中水通道蛋白的生理意义。特别是，我们将确定水通道蛋白在渗透胁迫反应中的作用，以完成我们对C.优雅我们希望（1）测试水通道蛋白突变体或RNAi敲除动物的渗透胁迫抗性，以获得关于水通道蛋白在渗透胁迫条件下的生理作用的信息，（2）分析急性和慢性渗透胁迫条件下上皮表达的水通道蛋白的mRNA和蛋白质丰度的变化，以了解水通道蛋白表达的调节，（3）揭示在胁迫介导的水通道蛋白调节中起重要作用的信号通路;（4）获得加压素信号通路对C.优雅从而揭示了加压素在C. elegans，除了它最近在行为中的作用。本项目也将有助于了解C.并提供关于甘油是否真的由排泄细胞分泌的信息。

In invertebrate organisms, functions and regulation of aquaporins are still quite elusive. The immediate aim of this project is to reveal the physiological significance of aquaporins in epithelial tissues of Caenorhabditis elegans which is widely used as a model organism. In particular, we will determine the role(s) of aquaporins in the response to osmotic stress in order to complete our picture on the osmoregulatory processes and the stress responses of C. elegans. We want to (1) test the osmotic stress resistance of aquaporin mutants or RNAi knock down animals to gain information about the physiological role of the aquaporin under osmotic stress conditions, (2) analyse changes of the mRNA and protein abundance of epithelial expressed aquaporins under acute and chronic osmotic stress conditions to understand the regulation of aquaporin expression, (3) reveal the signalling pathways that are important in stress-mediated aquaporin regulation, and (4) obtain information on the impact of the vasopressin signalling pathway on the water balance of C. elegans. Thereby, we may reveal the first physiological function of vasopressin in C. elegans, beside its recently demonstrated role in behaviour. This project will also help to understand the function of the excretory cell in C. elegans and provide information on whether glycerol is actually secreted by the excretory cell.