This translation by the NDI Foundation is to assist the lay reader. To provide a clear, accessible interpretation of the original article, we eliminated or simplified some technical detail and complicated scientific language. The NDI Foundation thanks the researchers for their work toward understanding and more effectively treating this disorder.
All biological systems require water to be transported through cell membranes .
Scientists knew there must be some biological mechanism in addition to simple diffusion of water through cell membranes because certain cell membranes show a much greater degree of water permeability than simple diffusion could account for. The aquaporins are distributed throughout the mammalian body, with some showing a greater affinity for certain areas in the body than others. AQP2 is distributed throughout the kidneys' collecting ducts . AQP3 is located in the base and sides of membrane cells in the kidneys' collecting ducts, trachea , the far end of the colon and cells at the surface of the brain. AQP4 is found mostly in the brain, parts of the kidney, and lung.