What experiment demonstrated the function of aquaporin?

Answer 1

Agre tested his hypothesis in a simple experiment (fig. 2) where he compared cells which contained the protein in question with cells which did not have it. When the cells were placed in a water solution, those that had the protein in their membranes absorbed water by osmosis and swelled up while those that lacked the protein were not affected at all. Agre also ran trials with artificial cells, termed liposomes, which are a type of soap bubble surrounded on the outside and the inside by water. He found that the liposomes became permeable to water if the

protein was planted in their membranes.

Answer 2

The experiment that demonstrated the function of aquaporin was conducted by Peter Agre in 1992. He and his team discovered that the presence of aquaporin in red blood cells facilitated the rapid transport of water across cell membranes. This experiment provided the first evidence for the existence and role of aquaporin proteins in facilitating water transport across biological membranes.