‘Aquaporin‐omics’: mechanisms of aquaporin‐2 loss in polyuric disorders

Animal models of a variety of acquired nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) disorders have identified a common feature: all such models are associated with the loss of aquaporin‐2 (AQP2) from collecting duct principal cells, explaining the associated polyuria. To discover mechanisms of AQP2 loss, previous investigators have carried out either transcriptomics (lithium‐induced NDI, unilateral ureteral obstruction, endotoxin‐induced NDI) or proteomics (hypokalaemia‐associated NDI, hypercalcaemia‐associated NDI, bilateral ureteral obstruction), yielding contrasting views. Here, to address whether there may be common mechanisms underlying loss of AQP2 in acquired NDI disorders, we have used bioinformatic data integration techniques to combine information from all transcriptomic and proteomic data sets. The analysis reveals roles for autophagy/apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammatory signalling as key elements of the mechanism that results in loss of AQP2. These processes can cause AQP2 loss through the combined effects of repression of Aqp2 gene transcription, generalized translational repression, and increased autophagic degradation of proteins including AQP2. Two possible types of stress‐sensor proteins, namely death receptors and stress‐sensitive protein kinases of the EIF2AK family, are discussed as potential triggers for signalling processes that result in loss of AQP2.