The discovery of aquaporin water channels by Agre and coworkers answered a long-standing biophysical question of how the majority of water crosses biological membranes. The identification and study of aquaporins have provided insight, at the molecular level, into the fundamental physiology of water balance regulation and the pathophysiology of water balance disorders. In addition to the originally identified classical aquaporins, a second class of aquaporins has been identified. Aquaporins in this latter class, the so-called aquaglyceroporins, transport small uncharged molecules such as glycerol and urea as well as water. Aquaglyceroporins have a wide tissue distribution, and emerging data suggest that several of them may play previously unappreciated physiological or pathophysiological roles. Analyses of transgenic mice have revealed potential roles of aquaglyceroporins in skin elasticity, gastrointestinal function and metabolism, and metabolic diseases such as diabetes mellitus. This review comprehensively discusses the recent discoveries in the field of aquaglyceroporins, alongside a brief overview of the so-called unorthodox aquaporins.

中文翻译：

---

哺乳动物的aquaglyceroporins的当前视图。

阿格雷及其同事发现水通道蛋白水通道，回答了一个长期存在的生物物理问题，即大多数水如何穿过生物膜。水通道蛋白的鉴定和研究在分子水平上为水平衡调节的基本生理学和水平衡失调的病理生理学提供了见识。除了最初确定的经典水通道蛋白外，还鉴定了第二类水通道蛋白。后一类中的水通道蛋白，即所谓的甘油水通道蛋白，可输送不带电荷的小分子，如甘油，尿素以及水。水甘油糖蛋白具有广泛的组织分布，并且新出现的数据表明它们中的一些可能起着以前未曾认识到的生理或病理生理作用。对转基因小鼠的分析表明，水甘油糖蛋白在皮肤弹性，胃肠功能和代谢以及诸如糖尿病等代谢性疾病中具有潜在作用。这篇综述全面讨论了在水甘油糖蛋白领域的最新发现，并简要概述了所谓的非正统水通道蛋白。