Structural basis for pH gating of plant aquaporins

Abstract

Plants have evolved to cope with fluctuations in water supply by gating their water channels known as aquaporins. During flooding, a rapid drop of cytosolic pH due to anoxia leads to a simultaneous closure of the aquaporins in the plasma membrane. The closing mechanism has been suggested to involve a conserved histidine on cytosolic loop D. Here we report the crystal structure of a spinach aquaporin at low pH, revealing for the first time the structural basis for how this pH-sensitive histidine helps to keep the aquaporin in a closed state.