AQP1 — Brassica oleracea var. botrytis

Summary

BoAQP1 (also known as BoDELTA-TIP1) on chromosome 5 of cauliflower encodes an aquaporin family protein, a member of the major intrinsic protein (MIP) superfamily. The product exhibits water, ammonium, methylammonium and urea transmembrane transporter activities, as well as heme and identical protein binding. BoAQP1 is associated with water transport, vacuole organization, one-carbon compound transport, porphyrin-containing compound metabolism, polar cell growth, osmotic and salinity responses, leaf development, and response to abscisic acid. It localizes to the tonoplast, central vacuole, protein storage vacuole, Golgi stack, chloroplast envelope, plasmodesma and plant-type cell wall. The gene has been linked to drought tolerance, salt tolerance, seed growth and development, oleic acid content, thermotolerance, lateral root emergence, root water transport, vacuolar ammonium compartmentation, seed germination, triacylglycerol content, and lipid metabolism. Studies of related genes in other species connect the family to vacuolar membrane transport, ABA sensitivity, stress regulation, salt stress sensitivity, drought response, seed oil content and lipid droplet accumulation.