Plant aquaporin biotechnology

Tight regulation of water movement is a prerequisite to ensure normal plant growth and development. Under abiotic stresses, plants need a complex and fine-tuned system for regulating their water balance, mainly due to their inability to make spatial movement. Hence it is not surprising that plants have an extensive water channel system, made up of aquaporins. Aquaporins belong to the major intrinsic proteins (MIPs) family and facilitate bidirectional flow of water and other physiologically essential molecules across cellular membranes. Consequently, increasing water use efficiency (WUE) and water retention represent critical research areas for the improvement of plant abiotic stress tolerance. A substantial body of evidence from a number of studies supports a direct role for plant aquaporins in response to abiotic stresses. Also, compelling evidence justifies aquaporins as a major player in plants’ responses to situations that affect water availability. However, complete understanding of the role of aquaporins requires comprehensive studies at different levels using modern omics approaches. The integrated function of aquaporins in plant water relations is the subject of intensive ongoing research, therefore, the aim of the review is to integrate data at molecular level on the mechanisms regulating aquaporin activity using transgenic plants under abiotic stresses.