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Azimi Mohammadabadi M, Moazzeni A, Jafarzadeh L, Faraji F, Mansourabadi AH, Safari E. Aquaporins in colorectal cancer: exploring their role in tumorigenesis, metastasis, and drug response. Hum Cell 2024:10.1007/s13577-024-01078-7. [PMID: 38806940 DOI: 10.1007/s13577-024-01078-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
Aquaporins (AQPs) are small, integral proteins facilitating water transport across plasma cell membranes in response to osmotic gradients. This family has 13 unique members (AQP0-12), which can also transport glycerol, urea, gases, and other salute small molecules. AQPs play a crucial role in the regulation of different cellular processes, including metabolism, migration, immunity, barrier function, and angiogenesis. These proteins are found to aberrantly overexpress in various cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC). Growing evidence has explored AQPs as a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target in different cancers. However, there is no comprehensive review compiling the available information on the crucial role of AQPs in the context of colorectal cancer. This review highlights the significance of AQPs as the biomarker and regulator of tumor cells metabolism. In addition, the proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis of tumor cells related to AQPs expression as well as function are discussed. Understanding the AQPs prominent role in chemotherapy resistance is of great importance clinically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Azimi Mohammadabadi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ali Moazzeni
- Department of Hematology, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
| | - Leila Jafarzadeh
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Faraji
- Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, Institute of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Amir Hossein Mansourabadi
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada, Ottawa, Canada
- University of Ottawa, Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Elahe Safari
- Breast Health & Cancer Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Kirkegaard T, Riishede A, Tramm T, Nejsum LN. Aquaglyceroporins in Human Breast Cancer. Cells 2023; 12:2185. [PMID: 37681917 PMCID: PMC10486483 DOI: 10.3390/cells12172185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Aquaporins are water channels that facilitate passive water transport across cellular membranes following an osmotic gradient and are essential in the regulation of body water homeostasis. Several aquaporins are overexpressed in breast cancer, and AQP1, AQP3 and AQP5 have been linked to spread to lymph nodes and poor prognosis. The subgroup aquaglyceroporins also facilitate the transport of glycerol and are thus involved in cellular metabolism. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that the three aquaglyceroporins, AQP3, AQP7 and AQP9, but not AQP10, are overexpressed in human breast cancer. It is, however, unknown if they are all expressed in the same cells or have a heterogeneous expression pattern. To investigate this, we employed immunohistochemical analysis of serial sections from human invasive ductal and lobular breast cancers. We found that AQP3, AQP7 and AQP9 are homogeneously expressed in almost all cells in both premalignant in situ lesions and invasive lesions. Thus, potential intervention strategies targeting cellular metabolism via the aquaglyceroporins should consider all three expressed aquaglyceroporins, namely AQP3, AQP7 and AQP9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Kirkegaard
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark; (T.K.); (A.R.); (T.T.)
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Andreas Riishede
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark; (T.K.); (A.R.); (T.T.)
| | - Trine Tramm
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark; (T.K.); (A.R.); (T.T.)
- Department of Pathology, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark
| | - Lene N. Nejsum
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark; (T.K.); (A.R.); (T.T.)
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Edamana S, Login FH, Riishede A, Dam VS, Tramm T, Nejsum LN. The cell polarity protein Scribble is downregulated by the water channel aquaporin-5 in breast cancer cells. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2023; 324:C307-C319. [PMID: 36468842 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00311.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Breast carcinomas originate from cells in the terminal duct-lobular unit. Carcinomas are associated with increased cell proliferation and migration, altered cellular adhesion, as well as loss of epithelial polarity. In breast cancer, aberrant and high levels of aquaporin-5 (AQP5) are associated with increased metastasis, poor prognosis, and cancer recurrence. AQP5 increases the proliferation and migration of cancer cells, and ectopic expression of AQP5 in normal epithelial cells reduces cell-cell adhesion and increases cell detachment and dissemination from migrating cell sheets, the latter via AQP5-mediated activation of the Ras pathway. Here, we investigated if AQP5 also affects cellular polarity by examining the relationship between the essential polarity protein Scribble and AQP5. In tissue samples from invasive lobular and ductal carcinomas, the majority of cells with high AQP5 expression displayed low Scribble levels, indicating an inverse relationship. Probing for interactions via a Glutathione S-transferase pull-down experiment revealed that AQP5 and Scribble interacted. Moreover, overexpression of AQP5 in the breast cancer cell line MCF7 reduced both size and circularity of three-dimensional (3-D) spheroids and induced cell detachment and dissemination from migrating cell sheets. In addition, Scribble levels were reduced. An AQP5 mutant cell line, which cannot activate Ras (AQP5S156A) signaling, displayed unchanged spheroid size and circularity and an intermediate level of Scribble, indicating that the effect of AQP5 on Scribble is, at least in part, dependent on AQP5-mediated activation of Ras. Thus, our results suggest that high AQP5 expression negatively regulates the essential polarity protein Scribble and thus, can affect cellular polarity in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarannya Edamana
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Frédéric H Login
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Andreas Riishede
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Vibeke S Dam
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Trine Tramm
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Department of Pathology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Lene N Nejsum
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Edamana S, Pedersen SF, Nejsum LN. Aquaporin water channels affect the response of conventional anticancer therapies of 3D grown breast cancer cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2023; 639:126-133. [PMID: 36481356 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2022.11.096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Aquaporin (AQP) water channels facilitate water transport across cellular membranes and are essential in regulation of body water balance. Moreover, several AQPs are overexpressed or ectopically expressed in breast cancer. Interestingly, several in vitro studies have suggested that AQPs can affect the response to conventional anticancer chemotherapies. Therefore, we took a systematic approach to test how AQP1, AQP3 and AQP5, which are often over-/ectopically expressed in breast cancer, affect total viability of 3-dimensional (3D) breast cancer cell spheroids when treated with the conventional anticancer chemotherapies Cisplatin, 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) and Doxorubicin, a Combination of the three drugs as well as the Combination plus the Ras inhibitor Salirasib. Total viability of spheroids overexpressing AQP1 were decreased by all treatments except for 5-FU, which increased total viability by 20% compared to DMSO treated controls. All treatments reduced viability of spheroids overexpressing AQP3. In contrast, only Doxorubicin, Combination and Combination + Salirasib reduced total viability of spheroids overexpressing AQP5. Thus, this study supports a significant role of AQPs in the response to conventional chemotherapies. Evaluating the role of individual proteins that contribute to resistance to chemotherapies is essential in advancing personalized medicine in breast carcinomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarannya Edamana
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8200, Aarhus N, Denmark
| | - Stine F Pedersen
- Department of Biology, Section for Cell Biology and Physiology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 13, 2100, København Ø, Denmark
| | - Lene N Nejsum
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8200, Aarhus N, Denmark.
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An Update on the General Features of Breast Cancer in Male Patients—A Literature Review. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12:diagnostics12071554. [PMID: 35885460 PMCID: PMC9323942 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12071554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Male breast cancers are uncommon, as men account for less than 1 percent of all breast carcinomas. Among the predisposing risk factors for male breast cancer, the following appear to be significant: (a) breast/chest radiation exposure, (b) estrogen use, diseases associated with hyper-estrogenism, such as cirrhosis or Klinefelter syndrome, and (c) family health history. Furthermore, there are clear familial tendencies, with a higher incidence among men who have a large number of female relatives with breast cancer and (d) major inheritance susceptibility. Moreover, in families with BRCA mutations, there is an increased risk of male breast cancer, although the risk appears to be greater with inherited BRCA2 mutations than with inherited BRCA1 mutations. Due to diagnostic delays, male breast cancer is more likely to present at an advanced stage. A core biopsy or a fine needle aspiration must be performed to confirm suspicious findings. Infiltrating ductal cancer is the most prevalent form of male breast cancer, while invasive lobular carcinoma is extremely uncommon. Male breast cancer is almost always positive for hormone receptors. A worse prognosis is associated with a more advanced stage at diagnosis for men with breast cancer. Randomized controlled trials which recruit both female and male patients should be developed in order to gain more consistent data on the optimal clinical approach.
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