Advances in research on aquaporins in medical helminthes

Abstract

Aquaporins (AQPs) are a class of membrane intrinsic proteins in medical helminthes that specifically mediate the transmembrane transport of water or other solute molecules. Previous studies have demonstrated that AQPs play a critical role in promoting the transmembrane transport of water, osmoregulation, uptake of nutrients, release of toxic metabolic products and transport of antiparasitic drugs, which may serve as promising vaccine candidates and drug targets for parasitic diseases. This review describes the structural characteristics of AQPs in medical helminthes, and discusses the feasibility of these AQPs as antihelminth vaccine candidates and drug targets, so as to provide insights into the development of novel vaccines and drugs against parasitic diseases.

Abstract

［摘要］ 水通道蛋白是广泛存在于医学蠕虫中的一类可特异性介导水和其他溶质分子跨膜转运的膜内在蛋白, 其在促 进水跨膜转运、渗透调节、营养物质吸收、有毒代谢产物排出以及抗寄生虫药物转运过程中发挥重要作用, 有望成为抗寄 生虫疫苗候选分子和药物靶点。本文综述了医学蠕虫水通道蛋白的结构特征并探讨其作为抗蠕虫疫苗候选分子和药物 靶点的可行性, 为新型抗寄生虫疫苗或药物研发提供参考。