Phylogenetic and specific sequence analysis of four paralogs in insect Aquaporins.

Aquaporins (AQP) are proteins that form channels to facilitate the movement of water across cell membranes in plants, bacteria and animals. Insect AQPs are indispensable for cellular water management under stress, including dehydration and cold. To better understand the biological significance of molecular evolution of gene sequences, followed by structural and functional specialization, the present study used ClustalX2.1, MEGA7.0, Jalview and Mesquite software to build an insect AQP phylogenetic tree and visualize the evolutionary associations among insect AQPs. It was demonstrated that 45 AQPs were classified as four major paralogs with each amino acid sequence containing two conserved NPA (Asp‑Pro‑Ala) motifs located in the center and C‑terminal domains, and other residues conserved within the paralogous groups, however not among them. All these differences in amino acid content may affect the structure, function and classification of the AQPs. The findings provide a basis for further study to understand insect AQPs through sequence comparison, structure and predicted function.