Meeting Abstract
Aquaporins are membrane channel proteins present in eukaryotes and prokaryotes that function to facilitate permeation of small molecules, including water, for regulating cell osmolarity, migration, and metabolism. In bilaterian animals, aquaporins are critical, selective proteins essential for water and ion regulation in specific cells or tissues, particularly the excretory and nervous system. Despite their broad phylogenetic distribution and essential functions in cell physiology, the evolutionary history and functional variation of aquaporins in early diverging animals are poorly understood. Here we will report on the diversity of aquaporins in the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis, with comparison to sponge, ctenophore, and placozoan species with reference genomes, and describe expression of these genes during development and in response to osmotic stress. Aquaporins were expressed early in embryogenesis coinciding with germ layer differentiation, and, surprisingly, had distinct spatial expression in the endoderm. In addition, these genes were differentially expressed in response to acute high and low salinity stress during development and in the adult stage, suggesting a role in acclimation to osmotic environment for this euryhaline species. Together our results show discrete developmental expression domains for these water channel proteins and their transcriptional flexibility in response to environmentally-relevant shifts in salinity characteristic of high marsh estuarine habitats.
