Title
Salt-excluding artificial water channels exhibiting enhanced dipolar water and proton translocation
Conference Dates
September 11-16, 2016
Abstract
Aquaporins (AQPs) are biological water channels known for fast water transport (~108-109 molecules/s/channel) with ion exclusion. Few synthetic channels have been designed to mimic this high water permeability, and none reject ions at a significant level. Selective water translocation has previously been shown to depend on water-wires spanning the AQP pore that reverse their orientation, combined with correlated channel motions. No quantitative correlation between the dipolar orientation of the water-wires and their effects on water and proton translocation has been reported. Here, we use complementary X-ray structural data, bilayer transport experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to gain key insights and quantify transport. We report artificial imidazole-quartet water channels with 2.6-Å pores, similar to AQP channels, that encapsulate oriented dipolar water-wires in a confined chiral conduit. These channels are able to transport ~106 water molecules per second, which is within two orders of magnitude of AQPs’ rates, and reject all ions except protons. The proton conductance is high (~5 H+/s/channel) and approximately half that of the M2 proton channel at neutral pH. Chirality is a key feature influencing channel efficiency.
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Recommended Citation
Mihail Barboiu, "Salt-excluding artificial water channels exhibiting enhanced dipolar water and proton translocation" in "Advanced Membrane Technology VII", Isabel C. Escobar, Professor, University of Kentucky, USA Jamie Hestekin, Associate Professor, University of Arkansas, USA Eds, ECI Symposium Series, (2016). https://dc.engconfintl.org/membrane_technology_vii/15