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Wang Y, Guan WX, Zhou Y, Zhang XY, Zhao HJ. Red ginseng polysaccharide promotes ferroptosis in gastric cancer cells by inhibiting PI3K/Akt pathway through down-regulation of AQP3. Cancer Biol Ther 2024; 25:2284849. [PMID: 38051132 PMCID: PMC10761076 DOI: 10.1080/15384047.2023.2284849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aims to investigate the effect of red ginseng polysaccharide (RGP) on gastric cancer (GC) development and explore its mechanism. METHODS GC cell lines AGS were treated with varying concentrations of RGP (50, 100, and 200 μg/mL). AGS cells treated with 200 μg/mL RGP were transfected with aquaporin 3 (AQP3) overexpression vector. Cell proliferation, viability, and apoptosis were evaluated by MTT, colony formation assay, and flow cytometry, respectively. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of AQP3. The levels of Fe2+, malondialdehyde, and lactate dehydrogenase were measured using their respective detection kits, and the reactive oxygen species levels was determined by probe 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate. The expression of ferroptosis-related protein and PI3K/Akt pathway-related protein were assessed by western blot. In vivo experiments in nude mice were performed and the mice were divided into four groups (n = 5/group) which gavage administrated with 150 mg/kg normal saline, and 75, 150, 300 mg/kg RGP, respectively. Their tumor weight and volume were recorded. RESULTS RGP treatment effectively inhibited the proliferation and viability of AGS cells in a dosage-dependent manner and induced apoptosis. It induced ferroptosis in AGS cells, as well as inhibiting the expression of PI3K/Akt-related proteins. AQP3 overexpression could reversed the effect of RGP treatment on ferroptosis. Confirmatory in vivo experiments showed that RGP could reduce the growth of implanted tumor, with increased RGP concentration resulting in greater tumor inhibitory effects. CONCLUSION RGP might have therapeutic potential against GC, effectively inhibiting the proliferation and viability of AGS cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Affiliated Huai'an Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Huai'an, China
| | - Wen-Xian Guan
- Department of General Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Yuan Zhou
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Affiliated Huai'an Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Huai'an, China
| | - Xiao-Yu Zhang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Affiliated Huai'an Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Huai'an, China
| | - Hai-Jian Zhao
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Affiliated Huai'an Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Huai'an, China
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Wang Y, Wu Y, Li X, Song W, Zheng F, Mo X, Luo Y, Li Y, Chen S, Luo H. Aquaporin-3 promotes proliferation and inflammation in hepatocellular carcinoma. Genes Dis 2024; 11:101029. [PMID: 38463942 PMCID: PMC10924172 DOI: 10.1016/j.gendis.2023.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yao Wang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
| | - Yalan Wu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
| | - Xueying Li
- The School of Health, Guangzhou Vocational University of Science and Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510555, China
| | - Weiwei Song
- Zhongshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhongshan, Guangdong 528401, China
| | - Fengling Zheng
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
- The Journal Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
| | - Xiaoying Mo
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
| | - Yi Luo
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
| | - Yun Li
- Jiangsu Vocational College of Medicine, Yancheng, Jiangsu 224005, China
| | - Song Chen
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
| | - Huanhuan Luo
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
- State Key Laboratory of Dampness Syndrome of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
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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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Liang Y, Chen P, Wang S, Cai L, Zhu F, Jiang Y, Li L, Zhu L, Heng Y, Zhang W, Pan Y, Wei W, Jia L. SCF FBXW5-mediated degradation of AQP3 suppresses autophagic cell death through the PDPK1-AKT-MTOR axis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Autophagy 2024:1-16. [PMID: 38726865 DOI: 10.1080/15548627.2024.2353497] [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: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024] Open
Abstract
AQP3 (aquaporin 3 (Gill blood group)), a member of the AQP family, is an aquaglyceroporin which transports water, glycerol and small solutes across the plasma membrane. Beyond its role in fluid transport, AQP3 plays a significant role in regulating various aspects of tumor cell behavior, including cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Nevertheless, the underlying regulatory mechanism of AQP3 in tumors remains unclear. Here, for the first time, we report that AQP3 is a direct target for ubiquitination by the SCFFBXW5 complex. In addition, we revealed that downregulation of FBXW5 significantly induced AQP3 expression to prompt macroautophagic/autophagic cell death in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Mechanistically, AQP3 accumulation induced by FBXW5 knockdown led to the degradation of PDPK1/PDK1 in a lysosomal-dependent manner, thus inactivating the AKT-MTOR pathway and inducing autophagic death in HCC. Taken together, our findings revealed a previously undiscovered regulatory mechanism through which FBXW5 degraded AQP3 to suppress autophagic cell death via the PDPK1-AKT-MTOR axis in HCC cells.Abbreviation: BafA1: bafilomycin A1; CQ: chloroquine; CRL: CUL-Ring E3 ubiquitin ligases; FBXW5: F-box and WD repeat domain containing 5; HCC: hepatocellular carcinoma; HSPA8/HSC70: heat shock protein family A (Hsp70) member 8; 3-MA: 3-methyladenine; PDPK1/PDK1: 3-phosphoinositide dependent protein kinase 1; RBX1/ROC1: ring-box 1; SKP1: S-phase kinase associated protein 1; SCF: SKP1-CUL1-F-box protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yupei Liang
- Cancer Institute, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Ping Chen
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Shiwen Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Huadong Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lili Cai
- Cancer Institute, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Feng Zhu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Huadong Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanyu Jiang
- Cancer Institute, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lihui Li
- Cancer Institute, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lihua Zhu
- Cancer Institute, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yongqing Heng
- Department of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenjuan Zhang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Yongfu Pan
- Cancer Institute, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenyi Wei
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lijun Jia
- Cancer Institute, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
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Tian Y, Zhang M, Liu LX, Wang ZC, Liu B, Huang Y, Wang X, Ling YZ, Wang F, Feng X, Tu Y. Exploring non-coding RNA mechanisms in hepatocellular carcinoma: implications for therapy and prognosis. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1400744. [PMID: 38799446 PMCID: PMC11116607 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1400744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a significant contributor to cancer-related deaths in the world. The development and progression of HCC are closely correlated with the abnormal regulation of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), such as microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs). Important biological pathways in cancer biology, such as cell proliferation, death, and metastasis, are impacted by these ncRNAs, which modulate gene expression. The abnormal expression of non-coding RNAs in HCC raises the possibility that they could be applied as new biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment targets. Furthermore, by controlling the expression of cancer-related genes, miRNAs can function as either tumor suppressors or oncogenes. On the other hand, lncRNAs play a role in the advancement of cancer by interacting with other molecules within the cell, which, in turn, affects processes such as chromatin remodeling, transcription, and post-transcriptional processes. The importance of ncRNA-driven regulatory systems in HCC is being highlighted by current research, which sheds light on tumor behavior and therapy response. This research highlights the great potential of ncRNAs to improve patient outcomes in this difficult disease landscape by augmenting the present methods of HCC care through the use of precision medicine approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Tian
- Research Center, The Huizhou Central People’s Hospital, Guangdong Medical University, Huizhou, Guangdong, China
- School of Public Health, Benedictine University, Lisle, IL, United States
| | - Meng Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, Baoding, China
| | - Li-xia Liu
- Department of Ultrasound, Hebei Key Laboratory of Precise Imaging of Inflammation Related Tumors, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, Baoding, Hebei, China
| | - Zi-chao Wang
- Department of Ultrasound, Hebei Key Laboratory of Precise Imaging of Inflammation Related Tumors, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, Baoding, Hebei, China
| | - Bin Liu
- Central Laboratory, Hebei Key Laboratory of Cancer Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, Baoding, Hebei, China
| | - Youcai Huang
- Research Center, The Huizhou Central People’s Hospital, Guangdong Medical University, Huizhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiaoling Wang
- Research Center, The Huizhou Central People’s Hospital, Guangdong Medical University, Huizhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yun-zhi Ling
- Research Center, The Huizhou Central People’s Hospital, Guangdong Medical University, Huizhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Furong Wang
- Department of Pathology, The Huizhou Central People’s Hospital, Guangdong Medical University, Huizhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiaoqiang Feng
- Center of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Gaozhou People’s Hospital, Gaozhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yanyang Tu
- Research Center, The Huizhou Central People’s Hospital, Guangdong Medical University, Huizhou, Guangdong, China
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Dong C, Zhao L, Liu X, Dang L, Zhang X. Single-cell analysis reveals landscape of endometrial cancer response to estrogen and identification of early diagnostic markers. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301128. [PMID: 38517922 PMCID: PMC10959392 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The development of endometrial cancer (EC) is closely related to the abnormal activation of the estrogen signaling pathway. Effective diagnostic markers are important for the early detection and treatment of EC. METHOD We downloaded single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptome (ST) data of EC from public databases. Enrichment scores were calculated for EC cell subpopulations using the "AddModuleScore" function and the AUCell package, respectively. Six predictive models were constructed, including logistic regression (LR), Gaussian naive Bayes (GaussianNB), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), support vector machine (SVM), extreme gradient boosting (XGB), and neural network (NK). Subsequently, receiver-operating characteristics with areas under the curves (AUCs) were used to assess the robustness of the predictive model. RESULT We classified EC cell coaggregation into six cell clusters, of which the epithelial, fibroblast and endothelial cell clusters had higher estrogen signaling pathway activity. We founded the epithelial cell subtype Epi cluster1, the fibroblast cell subtype Fib cluster3, and the endothelial cell subtype Endo cluster3 all showed early activation levels of estrogen response. Based on EC cell subtypes, estrogen-responsive early genes, and genes encoding Stage I and para-cancer differentially expressed proteins in EC patients, a total of 24 early diagnostic markers were identified. The AUCs values of all six classifiers were higher than 0.95, which indicates that the early diagnostic markers we screened have superior robustness across different classification algorithms. CONCLUSION Our study elucidates the potential biological mechanism of EC response to estrogen at single-cell resolution, which provides a new direction for early diagnosis of EC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunli Dong
- Department of Anesthesiology and Operation, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Liyan Zhao
- Department of Anesthesiology and Operation, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Xiongtao Liu
- Department of Anesthesiology and Operation, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Ling Dang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
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Gurung R, Masood M, Singh P, Jha P, Sinha A, Ajmeriya S, Sharma M, Dohare R, Haque MM. Uncovering the role of aquaporin and chromobox family members as potential biomarkers in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma via integrative multiomics and in silico approach. J Appl Genet 2024:10.1007/s13353-024-00843-6. [PMID: 38358594 DOI: 10.1007/s13353-024-00843-6] [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: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) is a diverse group of tumors arising from oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, and hypopharynx squamous epithelium, posing significant morbidity. Aquaporins (AQPs) are membrane proteins forming water channels, some associated with carcinomas. Chromobox (CBX) family is known to modulate physiological and oncological processes. In our study, we analyzed AQPs and CBXs having significant expression followed by their prognostic and mutational assessment. Next, we performed enrichment and tumor infiltration analysis followed by HPA validation. Lastly, we established a 3-node miRNA-TF-mRNA regulatory network and performed protein-protein docking of the highest-degree subnetwork motif between TF and mRNA. Significant upregulation of CBX3/2 and downregulation of AQP3/5/7 correlated with poor overall survival (OS) in HNSC patients. The most significant pathway, GO-BP, GO-MF, and GO-CC terms associated with AQP3 and CBX3 were passive transport by aquaporins, response to vitamin, glycerol channel activity, and condensed chromosome, centromeric region. AQP3 negatively correlated with [Formula: see text] T cells, positively with [Formula: see text] T cells and B cells, and negatively with tumor purity, whereas CBX3 positively correlated with [Formula: see text] T cells, negatively with [Formula: see text] T cells and B cells, and positively with tumor purity. Three-node miRNA-TF-mRNA regulatory network revealed a highest-degree subnetwork motif comprising one TF (SMAD3), one miRNA (miR-423-5p), and one mRNA (AQP3). Protein-protein interaction studies suggested a direct interaction between AQP3 and Smad3 proteins. We concluded that AQP3 and CBX3 hold potential as treatment strategies and individual prognostic biomarkers, while further protein-protein interaction studies of AQP3 could offer insights into its interactions with Smad3 proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rishabh Gurung
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, 110025, India
| | - Mohammad Masood
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, 110025, India
| | - Prithvi Singh
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, 110025, India
| | - Prakash Jha
- Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Anticancer Drug Development, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research, University of Delhi, New Delhi, 110007, India
| | - Anuradha Sinha
- Department of Preventive Oncology, Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Muzaffarpur, 842004, India
| | - Swati Ajmeriya
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Milin Sharma
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, 110025, India
| | - Ravins Dohare
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, 110025, India.
| | - Mohammad Mahfuzul Haque
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, 110025, India.
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da Silva IV, Pimpão C, Paccetti-Alves I, Thomas SR, Barateiro A, Casini A, Soveral G. Blockage of aquaporin-3 peroxiporin activity by organogold compounds affects melanoma cell adhesion, proliferation and migration. J Physiol 2024. [PMID: 38323926 DOI: 10.1113/jp284155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Aquaporin-3 (AQP3) is a membrane channel with dual aquaglyceroporin/peroxiporin activity, facilitating the diffusion of water, glycerol and H2 O2 across cell membranes. AQP3 shows aberrant expression in melanoma and its role in cell adhesion, migration and proliferation is well described. Gold compounds were shown to modulate AQP3 activity with reduced associated toxicity, making them promising molecules for cancer therapy. In this study, we validated the phenotype resulting from AQP3-silencing of two melanoma cell lines, MNT-1 and A375, which resulted in decreased H2 O2 permeability. Subsequently, the AQP3 inhibitory effect of a new series of organogold compounds derived from Auphen, a potent AQP3 inhibitor, was first evaluated in red blood cells (RBCs) that highly express AQP3, and then in HEK-293T cells with AQP3 overexpression to ascertain the compounds' specificity. The first screening in RBCs unveiled two organogold compounds as promising blockers of AQP3 permeability. Moderate reduction of glycerol permeability but drastic inhibition of H2 O2 permeability was detected for some of the gold derivatives in both AQP3-overexpressing cells and human melanoma cell lines. Additionally, all compounds were effective in impairing cell adhesion, proliferation and migration, although in a cell type-dependent manner. In conclusion, our data show that AQP3 peroxiporin activity is crucial for melanoma progression and highlight organogold compounds as promising AQP3 inhibitors with implications in melanoma cell adhesion, proliferation and migration, unveiling their potential as anticancer drugs against AQP3-overexpressing tumours. KEY POINTS: AQP3 affects cellular redox balance. Gold compounds inhibit AQP3 permeability in melanoma cells. AQP3 is involved in cell adhesion, proliferation and migration of melanoma. Blockage of AQP3 peroxiporin activity impairs melanoma cell migration. Gold compounds are potential anticancer drug leads for AQP3-overexpressing cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês V da Silva
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Medicines, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Catarina Pimpão
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Medicines, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Inês Paccetti-Alves
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Medicines, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Sophie R Thomas
- Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Garching bei München, Germany
| | - Andreia Barateiro
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Medicines, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Angela Casini
- Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Garching bei München, Germany
| | - Graça Soveral
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Medicines, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
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Wang Q, Lin B, Wei H, Wang X, Nie X, Shi Y. AQP3 Promotes the Invasion and Metastasis in Cervical Cancer by Regulating NOX4-derived H 2O 2 Activation of Syk/PI3K/Akt Signaling Axis. J Cancer 2024; 15:1124-1137. [PMID: 38230207 PMCID: PMC10788729 DOI: 10.7150/jca.91360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Unrestrained chronic inflammation leads to the abnormal activity of NOX4 and the subsequent production of excessive hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Excessive H2O2 signaling triggered by prolonged inflammation is thought to be one of the important reasons for the progression of some types of cancer including cervical cancer. Aquaporin 3 (AQP3) is a member of the water channel protein family, and it remains unknown whether AQP3 can regulate the transmembrane transport of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase 4 (NOX4)-derived H2O2 induced by the stimulation of inflammatory factors to facilitate the malignant progression in cervical cancer. In this study, cervical cancer HeLa cell line was respectively treated with diphenyleneiodonium (DPI), N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) or lentivirus-shRNA- AQP3. Plate cloning, cell migration or transwell invasion assays, etc. were performed to detect the invasive and migration ability of the cells. Western blot and CO-IP were used to analyze the mechanism of AQP3 regulating H2O2 conduction. Finally, in vivo assays were performed for validation in nude mice. AQP3 Knockdown, DPI or NAC treatments all reduced intracellular H2O2 influx, and the activation of Syk/PI3K/Akt signal axis was inhibited, the migration and invasive ability of the cells was attenuated. In vivo assays confirmed that the excessive H2O2 transport through AQP3 enhanced the infiltration and metastasis of cervical cancer. These results suggest that AQP3 activates H2O2/Syk/PI3K/Akt signaling axis through regulating NOX4-derived H2O2 transport to contribute to the progression of cervical cancer, and AQP3 may be a potential target for the clinical treatment of advanced cervical cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qixin Wang
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830017, China
| | - Bingjie Lin
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830017, China
| | - Hongjian Wei
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830017, China
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830017, China
| | - Xiaojing Nie
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830017, China
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Endemic Diseases, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830017, China
| | - Yonghua Shi
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830017, China
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Endemic Diseases, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830017, China
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Ran R, Brubaker DK. Enhanced annotation of CD45RA to distinguish T cell subsets in single-cell RNA-seq via machine learning. BIOINFORMATICS ADVANCES 2023; 3:vbad159. [PMID: 38023329 PMCID: PMC10676521 DOI: 10.1093/bioadv/vbad159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Motivation T cell heterogeneity presents a challenge for accurate cell identification, understanding their inherent plasticity, and characterizing their critical role in adaptive immunity. Immunologists have traditionally employed techniques such as flow cytometry to identify T cell subtypes based on a well-established set of surface protein markers. With the advent of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), researchers can now investigate the gene expression profiles of these surface proteins at the single-cell level. The insights gleaned from these profiles offer valuable clues and a deeper understanding of cell identity. However, CD45RA, the isoform of CD45 which distinguishes between naive/central memory T cells and effector memory/effector memory cells re-expressing CD45RA T cells, cannot be well profiled by scRNA-seq due to the difficulty in mapping short reads to genes. Results In order to facilitate cell-type annotation in T cell scRNA-seq analysis, we employed machine learning and trained a CD 45 RA + / - classifier on single-cell mRNA count data annotated with known CD45RA antibody levels provided by cellular indexing of transcriptomes and epitopes sequencing data. Among all the algorithms we tested, the trained support vector machine with a radial basis function kernel with optimized hyperparameters achieved a 99.96% accuracy on an unseen dataset. The multilayer perceptron classifier, the second most predictive method overall, also achieved a decent accuracy of 99.74%. Our simple yet robust machine learning approach provides a valid inference on the CD45RA level, assisting the cell identity annotation and further exploring the heterogeneity within human T cells. Based on the overall performance, we chose the support vector machine with a radial basis function kernel as the model implemented in our Python package scCD45RA. Availability and implementation The resultant package scCD45RA can be found at https://github.com/BrubakerLab/ScCD45RA and can be installed from the Python Package Index (PyPI) using the command "pip install sccd45ra."
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Affiliation(s)
- Ran Ran
- Department of Pathology, Center for Global Health and Diseases, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, United States
| | - Douglas K Brubaker
- Department of Pathology, Center for Global Health and Diseases, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, United States
- The Blood, Heart, Lung, and Immunology Research Center, Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Cleveland, OH 44106, United States
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11
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Weidle UH, Nopora A. Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Up-regulated Circular RNAs Which Mediate Efficacy in Preclinical In Vivo Models. Cancer Genomics Proteomics 2023; 20:500-521. [PMID: 37889063 PMCID: PMC10614070 DOI: 10.21873/cgp.20401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranges as number two with respect to the incidence of tumors and is associated with a dismal prognosis. The therapeutic efficacy of approved multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitors and checkpoint inhibitors is modest. Therefore, the identification of new therapeutic targets and entities is of paramount importance. We searched the literature for up-regulated circular RNAs (circRNAs) which mediate efficacy in preclinical in vivo models of HCC. Our search resulted in 14 circRNAs which up-regulate plasma membrane transmembrane receptors, while 5 circRNAs induced secreted proteins. Two circRNAs facilitated replication of Hepatitis B or C viruses. Three circRNAs up-regulated high mobility group proteins. Six circRNAs regulated components of the ubiquitin system. Seven circRNAs induced GTPases of the family of ras-associated binding proteins (RABs). Three circRNAs induced redox-related proteins, eight of them up-regulated metabolic enzymes and nine circRNAs induced signaling-related proteins. The identified circRNAs up-regulate the corresponding targets by sponging microRNAs. Identified circRNAs and their targets have to be validated by standard criteria of preclinical drug development. Identified targets can potentially be inhibited by small molecules or antibody-based moieties and circRNAs can be inhibited by small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) or short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) for therapeutic purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich H Weidle
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Munich, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Adam Nopora
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Munich, Penzberg, Germany
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12
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Login FH, Nejsum LN. Aquaporin water channels: roles beyond renal water handling. Nat Rev Nephrol 2023; 19:604-618. [PMID: 37460759 DOI: 10.1038/s41581-023-00734-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Aquaporin (AQP) water channels are pivotal to renal water handling and therefore in the regulation of body water homeostasis. However, beyond the kidney, AQPs facilitate water reabsorption and secretion in other cells and tissues, including sweat and salivary glands and the gastrointestinal tract. A growing body of evidence has also revealed that AQPs not only facilitate the transport of water but also the transport of several small molecules and gases such as glycerol, H2O2, ions and CO2. Moreover, AQPs are increasingly understood to contribute to various cellular processes, including cellular migration, adhesion and polarity, and to act upstream of several intracellular and intercellular signalling pathways to regulate processes such as cell proliferation, apoptosis and cell invasiveness. Of note, several AQPs are highly expressed in multiple cancers, where their expression can correlate with the spread of cancerous cells to lymph nodes and alter the response of cancers to conventional chemotherapeutics. These data suggest that AQPs have diverse roles in various homeostatic and physiological systems and may be exploited for prognostics and therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric H Login
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Lene N Nejsum
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
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13
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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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14
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Lopes PA, Fonseca E, da Silva IV, Vigia E, Paulino J, Soveral G. Aquaporins Transcripts with Potential Prognostic Value in Pancreatic Cancer. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1694. [PMID: 37761834 PMCID: PMC10530795 DOI: 10.3390/genes14091694] [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: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is anticipated to be the second leading cause of cancer-related death by 2030. Aquaporins (AQPs), a family of water channel proteins, have been linked to carcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to determine AQP gene expression in pancreatic cancer tissues and to validate aquaporins as possible diagnosis and/or prognosis genes. The relative gene expression levels of AQP1, AQP3, AQP5, and AQP9 were analyzed using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) in 24 paired pancreatic tumors and adjacent healthy tissues according to variables such as age, gender, and tumor invasiveness and aggressiveness. AQPs transcripts were detected in both healthy and tumor tissues. While AQP1 was downregulated in the tumor samples, AQP3 was particularly overexpressed in low-grade invasive tumors. Interestingly, most of the strong positive Pearson correlation coefficients found between AQPs in healthy tissues were lost when analyzing the tumor tissues, suggesting disruption of the coordinated AQP-gene expression in pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula A. Lopes
- CIISA—Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal
- Laboratório Associado para Ciência Animal e Veterinária (AL4AnimalS), Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Elisabete Fonseca
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal; (E.F.); (I.V.d.S.)
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Medicines, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Inês V. da Silva
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal; (E.F.); (I.V.d.S.)
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Medicines, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Emanuel Vigia
- Hepatobiliopancreatic and Transplantation Center, Hospital de Curry Cabral-CHULC, 1050-099 Lisbon, Portugal;
- NOVA Medical School, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 1169-056 Lisbon, Portugal;
| | - Jorge Paulino
- NOVA Medical School, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 1169-056 Lisbon, Portugal;
- Hospital da Luz, 1500-650 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Graça Soveral
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal; (E.F.); (I.V.d.S.)
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Medicines, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal
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15
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Liu Y, Gao Q, Feng X, Chen G, Jiang X, Chen D, Yang Z. Aquaporin 9 is involved in CRC metastasis through DVL2-dependent Wnt/β-catenin signaling activation. Gastroenterol Rep (Oxf) 2023; 11:goad033. [PMID: 37360194 PMCID: PMC10287913 DOI: 10.1093/gastro/goad033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Aquaporin 9 (AQP9) is permeable to water or other small molecules, and plays an important role in various cancers. We previously found that AQP9 was related to the efficacy of chemotherapy in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). This study aimed to identify the role and regulatory mechanism of AQP9 in CRC metastasis. Methods The clinical significance of AQP9 was analysed by using bioinformatics and tissue microarray. Transcriptome sequencing, Dual-Luciferase Reporter Assay, Biacore, and co-immunoprecipitation were employed to demonstrate the regulatory mechanism of AQP9 in CRC. The relationship between AQP9 and CRC metastasis was verified in vitro and in vivo by using real-time cell analysis assay, high content screening, and liver metastasis models of nude mice. Results We found that AQP9 was highly expressed in metastatic CRC. AQP9 overexpression reduced cell roundness and enhanced cell motility in CRC. We further showed that AQP9 interacted with Dishevelled 2 (DVL2) via the C-terminal SVIM motif, resulting in DVL2 stabilization and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway activation. Additionally, we identified the E3 ligase neural precursor cell expressed developmentally downregulated 4-like (NEDD4L) as a modulator regulating the ubiquitination and degradation of AQP9. Conclusions Collectively, our study revealed the important role of AQP9 in regulating DVL2 stabilization and Wnt/β-catenin signaling to promote CRC metastasis. Targeting the NEDD4L-AQP9-DVL2 axis might have therapeutic usefulness in metastatic CRC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Guanxing Chen
- Artificial Intelligence Medical Research Center, School of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Xuefei Jiang
- Guangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Diseases, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
- Department of General Surgery (Colorectal Surgery), The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Daici Chen
- Guangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Diseases, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
- Department of General Surgery (Colorectal Surgery), The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Zihuan Yang
- Corresponding author. Department of Clinical Laboratory, Guangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Diseases, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510655, China. Tel.: +86-20-38455491;
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16
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Zhang G, Hao Y, Chen L, Li Z, Gao L, Tian J, Qiao Q, Zhang J. Expression of aquaporin 1, 3 and 5 in colorectal carcinoma: correlation with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis. Pathol Oncol Res 2023; 29:1611179. [PMID: 37334171 PMCID: PMC10272351 DOI: 10.3389/pore.2023.1611179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Background: Prognostic biomarkers in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) have an important role in therapeutic strategy. Studies have shown that high expression of Aquaporin (AQP) is associated with poor prognosis in a variety of human tumors. AQP is involved in the initiation and development of CRC. The present study aimed to investigate the correlation between the expression of AQP1, 3 and 5 and clinicopathological features or prognosis in CRC. Methods: The AQP1, 3 and 5 expressions were analyzed based on the immunohistochemical staining of tissue microarray specimens including 112 patients with CRC between June 2006 and November 2008. The expression score of AQP (Allred_score and H_score) was digitally obtained with Qupath software. Patients were divided into high or low expression subgroups based on the optimal cut-off values. The relationship between expression of AQP and clinicopathological characteristics were evaluated using chi-square test, t-test, or one-way ANOVA, when appropriate. Survival analysis of 5-year progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was performed with time-dependent ROC, Kaplan-Meier curves, univariate and multivariate COX analysis. Results: The AQP1, 3 and 5 expressions were associated with regional lymph node metastasis, histological grading, and tumor location in CRC, respectively (p < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier curves showed that patients with high AQP1 expression had worse 5-year PFS than those with low AQP1 expression (Allred_score: 47% vs. 72%, p = 0.015; H_score: 52% vs. 78% p = 0.006), as well as 5-year OS (Allred_score: 51% vs. 75%, p = 0.005; H_score: 56% vs. 80%, p = 0.002). Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that AQP1 expression was an independent risk prognostic factor (p = 0.033, HR = 2.274, HR95% CI: 1.069-4.836). There was no significant correlation between the expression of AQP3 and 5 and the prognosis. Conclusion: The AQP1, 3 and 5 expressions correlate with different clinicopathological characteristics and the AQP1 expression may be a potential biomarker of prognosis in CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangwen Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yongfei Hao
- Department of Radiology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- School of Medicine, Yan’an University, Yan’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Ling Chen
- Department of Pathology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Zengshan Li
- Department of Pathology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Langlang Gao
- Department of Radiology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jian Tian
- Department of Radiology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Qing Qiao
- Department of General Surgery, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jinsong Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
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17
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Paccetti-Alves I, Batista MSP, Pimpão C, Victor BL, Soveral G. Unraveling the Aquaporin-3 Inhibitory Effect of Rottlerin by Experimental and Computational Approaches. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24066004. [PMID: 36983077 PMCID: PMC10057066 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24066004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The natural polyphenolic compound Rottlerin (RoT) showed anticancer properties in a variety of human cancers through the inhibition of several target molecules implicated in tumorigenesis, revealing its potential as an anticancer agent. Aquaporins (AQPs) are found overexpressed in different types of cancers and have recently emerged as promising pharmacological targets. Increasing evidence suggests that the water/glycerol channel aquaporin-3 (AQP3) plays a key role in cancer and metastasis. Here, we report the ability of RoT to inhibit human AQP3 activity with an IC50 in the micromolar range (22.8 ± 5.82 µM for water and 6.7 ± 2.97 µM for glycerol permeability inhibition). Moreover, we have used molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations to understand the structural determinants of RoT that explain its ability to inhibit AQP3. Our results show that RoT blocks AQP3-glycerol permeation by establishing strong and stable interactions at the extracellular region of AQP3 pores interacting with residues essential for glycerol permeation. Altogether, our multidisciplinary approach unveiled RoT as an anticancer drug against tumors where AQP3 is highly expressed providing new information to aquaporin research that may boost future drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês Paccetti-Alves
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Medicines, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Marta S P Batista
- Biosystems and Integrative Sciences Institute, Faculty of Sciences, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Catarina Pimpão
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Medicines, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Bruno L Victor
- Biosystems and Integrative Sciences Institute, Faculty of Sciences, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Graça Soveral
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Medicines, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal
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18
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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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Abulizi A, Dawuti A, Yang B. Aquaporins in Tumor. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2023; 1398:303-315. [PMID: 36717503 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-19-7415-1_21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Recent researches have demonstrated that aquaporins (AQPs), including water-selective channels, aquaglyceroporins and superaquaporins, are generally expressed in various tumors, such as lung, colorectal, liver, brain, breast tumors, etc. Therefore, it is imperative to study the accurate relationship between AQPs and tumor, which may provide innovative approaches to treat and prevent tumor development. In this chapter, we mainly reviewed the expression and pathophysiological function of AQPs in tumor, and summarize recent work on AQPs in tumor. Although, the underlying mechanism of AQP in tumor is not very clear, growing evidences suggest that cell migration, adhesion, angiogenesis, and division contribute to tumor development, in which AQPs might be involved. Therefore, it is still necessary to conduct further studies to determine the specific roles of AQPs in the tumor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abudumijiti Abulizi
- Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Phytomedicine Resource and Utilization, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shihezi University, Shihezi, China.
| | - Awaguli Dawuti
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Targets Identification and Drug Screening, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Baoxue Yang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
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20
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Ishibashi K, Tanaka Y, Morishita Y. Evolutionary Overview of Aquaporin Superfamily. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2023; 1398:81-98. [PMID: 36717488 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-19-7415-1_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Aquaporins (AQPs) are present not only in three domains of life, bacteria, eukaryotes, and archaea, but also in viruses. With the accumulating arrays of AQP superfamily, the evolutional relationship has attracted much attention with multiple publications on "the genome-wide identification and phylogenetic analysis" of AQP superfamily. A pair of NPA boxes forming a pore is highly conserved throughout the evolution and renders key residues for the classification of AQP superfamily into four groups: AQP1-like, AQP3-like, AQP8-like, and AQP11-like. The complexity of AQP family has mostly been achieved in nematodes and subsequent evolution has been directed toward increasing the number of AQPs through whole-genome duplications (WGDs) to extend the tissue specific expression and regulation. The discovery of the intracellular AQP (iAQP: AQP8-like and AQP11-like) and substrate transports by the plasma membrane AQP (pAQP: AQP1-like and AQP3-like) have accelerated the AQP research much more toward the transport of substrates with complex profiles. This evolutionary overview based on a simple classification of AQPs into four subfamilies will provide putative structural, functional, and localization information and insights into the role of AQP as well as clues to understand the complex diversity of AQP superfamily.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenichi Ishibashi
- Division of Pathophysiology, Meiji Pharmaceutical University, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Yasuko Tanaka
- Division of Pathophysiology, Meiji Pharmaceutical University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshiyuki Morishita
- Division of Nephrology, Saitama Medical Center, Jichi Medical University, Ohmiya, Saitama-City, Saitama, Japan
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21
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Sun M, Li L. Identification of Biomarkers Associated with Heart Failure Caused by Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy Using WGCNA and Machine Learning Algorithms. Int J Genomics 2023; 2023:2250772. [PMID: 37143707 PMCID: PMC10154102 DOI: 10.1155/2023/2250772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The genetic factors and pathogenesis of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy-induced heart failure (IDCM-HF) have not been understood thoroughly; there is a lack of specific diagnostic markers and treatment methods for the disease. Hence, we aimed to identify the mechanisms of action at the molecular level and potential molecular markers for this disease. Methods Gene expression profiles of IDCM-HF and non-heart failure (NF) specimens were acquired from the database of Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). We then identified the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and analyzed their functions and related pathways by using "Metascape". Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was utilized to search for key module genes. Candidate genes were identified by intersecting the key module genes identified via WGCNA with DEGs and further screened via the support vector machine-recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) method and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm. At last, the biomarkers were validated and evaluated the diagnostic efficacy by the area under curve (AUC) value and further confirmed the differential expression in the IDCM-HF and NF groups using an external database. Results We detected 490 genes exhibiting differential expression between IDCM-HF and NF specimens from the GSE57338 dataset, with most of them being concentrated in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of cells related to biological processes and pathways. After screening, 13 candidate genes were identified. Aquaporin 3 (AQP3) and cytochrome P450 2J2 (CYP2J2) showed high diagnostic efficacy in the GSE57338 and GSE6406 datasets, respectively. In comparison to the NF group, AQP3 was significantly down-regulated in the IDCM-HF group, while CYP2J2 was significantly up-regulated. Conclusion As far as we know, this is the first study that combines WGCNA and machine learning algorithms to screen for potential biomarkers of IDCM-HF. Our findings suggest that AQP3 and CYP2J2 could be used as novel diagnostic markers and treatment targets of IDCM-HF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengyi Sun
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Jining First People′s Hospital, Jining, Shandong, China
| | - Linping Li
- Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases of Jining Medical Research Academy, Jining First People′s Hospital, Jining, Shandong, China
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22
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Abstract
The skin is the largest organ of our body and plays a protective role against the external environment. The skin functions as a mechanical and water permeability barrier, assisting with thermoregulation and defending our body against a variety of stresses such as ultraviolet radiation, microbial infection, physical injuries, and chemical hazards. The structure of the skin consists of three main layers: the hypodermis, the dermis, and the epidermis. Aquaporins (AQPs) are a family of integral membrane proteins whose function is to regulate intracellular fluid hemostasis by facilitating the transportation of water, and in some cases small molecules, across the cell membranes. Up to six different AQPs (AQP1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 10) are expressed in a variety of cell types in the skin. The AQP family plays an important role in these various locations, contributing to many key functions of the skin including hydration, wound healing, and immune responses. The involvement of different aquaporin family members in skin is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuming Yin
- Department of Breast Oncoplastic Surgery, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
- Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
- Sino-Russian Joint Research Center for Oncoplastic Breast Surgery, Tianjin, China
| | - Huiwen Ren
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
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23
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Nicolas-Espinosa J, Yepes-Molina L, Carvajal M. Bioactive peptides from broccoli stems strongly enhance regenerative keratinocytes by stimulating controlled proliferation. PHARMACEUTICAL BIOLOGY 2022; 60:235-246. [PMID: 35086428 PMCID: PMC8797740 DOI: 10.1080/13880209.2021.2009522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT As the interest on the research of plant derived bioactive peptides (BPs) for nutraceutical, cosmeceutical and medical applications is increasing, in this work, the application of peptide derived from broccoli to keratinocytes was studied. OBJECTIVE We focussed on the characterization of different peptides hydrolysates from broccoli stems [extracted from total protein (E) and from membrane protein (MF)], and their activity when applied to human keratinocytes. MATERIALS AND METHODS Peptide mixtures from broccoli stems (E and MF) were characterized by proteomics. They were applied to HaCaT cells in order to study cytotoxicity in a concentration range between 20 and 0.15625 µg of protein/mL and wound healing was studied after 24 and 48 h of treatment application. Also, proteomic and gene expression of keratinocytes were analysed. RESULTS Depending on the source, proteins varied in peptide and amino acid composition. An increased proliferation of keratinocytes was shown after the application of the E peptides mixtures, reaching 190% with the lowest concentrations, but enhanced wound healing repair with E and MF appeared, reaching 59% of wound closure after 48 h. At the gene expression and protein levels of keratinocytes, the upregulation of anti-oncogene p53 and keratinization factors were observed. DISCUSSION These results suggest that peptide mixtures obtained from broccoli augmented cell proliferation and prevented the carcinogenic, uncontrolled growth of the cells, with different mechanisms depending on the protein source. CONCLUSIONS The results encourage the opening of new lines of research involving the use of Brassica peptides for pharmaceutic or cosmetic use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Nicolas-Espinosa
- Aquaporins Group, Plant Nutrition Department, Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura (CEBAS-CSIC), Campus Universitario de Espinardo, Murcia, Spain
| | - Lucía Yepes-Molina
- Aquaporins Group, Plant Nutrition Department, Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura (CEBAS-CSIC), Campus Universitario de Espinardo, Murcia, Spain
| | - Micaela Carvajal
- Aquaporins Group, Plant Nutrition Department, Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura (CEBAS-CSIC), Campus Universitario de Espinardo, Murcia, Spain
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24
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Expression Profiles of AQP3 and AQP4 in Lung Adenocarcinoma Samples Generated via Bronchoscopic Biopsies. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11195954. [PMID: 36233821 PMCID: PMC9573329 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11195954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Aquaporins (AQPs) are highly conserved channel proteins which are mainly responsible for the exchange of water and small molecules and have shown to play a pivotal role in the development and progression of cancer. Lung adenocarcinoma is the most common primary lung cancer seen in patients in Europe and the United States. However, in patients it is often not diagnosed until the advanced tumor stage is present. Previous studies provided strong evidence that some members of the AQP family could serve as clinical biomarkers for different diseases. Therefore, we aimed to investigate how AQP3 and AQP4 protein expression in lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) biopsy samples correlate with clinical and pathological parameters. The protein expression of AQP3 and AQP4 was analyzed based on immunohistochemical staining. AQP3 protein was observed in the cytoplasmic membrane of cancer tissue in 82% of lung samples. Significant differences in relative protein expression of AQP3 were noted between advanced age patients compared to younger counterparts (p = 0.017). A high expression of AQP3 was significant in cancer tissue when compared to the control group (p < 0.001), whereas a low AQP4 membrane expression was noted as significantly common in cancer tissue compared to non-neoplastic lung tissue (p < 0.001). Moreover, a low AQP4 membrane expression was positively correlated with a more advanced disease status, e.g., lymph node metastases (p = 0.046). Based on our findings, AQP3 and AQP4 could be used as biomarkers in ADC patients.
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25
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Ishii T, Warabi E, Mann GE. Mechanisms underlying Nrf2 nuclear translocation by non-lethal levels of hydrogen peroxide: p38 MAPK-dependent neutral sphingomyelinase2 membrane trafficking and ceramide/PKCζ/CK2 signaling. Free Radic Biol Med 2022; 191:191-202. [PMID: 36064071 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2022.08.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Hydrogen peroxide is an aerobic metabolite playing a central role in redox signaling and oxidative stress. H2O2 could activate redox sensitive transcription factors, such as Nrf2, AP-1 and NF-κB by different manners. In some cells, treatment with non-lethal levels of H2O2 induces rapid activation of Nrf2, which upregulates expression of a set of genes involved in glutathione (GSH) synthesis and defenses against oxidative damage. It depends on two steps, the rapid translational activation of Nrf2 and facilitation of Nrf2 nuclear translocation. We review the molecular mechanisms by which H2O2 induces nuclear translocation of Nrf2 in cultured cells by highlighting the role of neutral sphingomyelinase 2 (nSMase2), a GSH sensor. H2O2 enters cells through aquaporin channels in the plasma membrane and is rapidly reduced to H2O by GSH peroxidases to consume cellular GSH, resulting in nSMase2 activation to generate ceramide. H2O2 also activates p38 MAP kinase, which enhances transfer of nSMase2 from perinuclear regions to plasma membrane lipid rafts to accelerate ceramide generation. Low levels of ceramide activate PKCζ, which then activates casein kinase 2 (CK2). These protein kinases are able to phosphorylate Nrf2 to stabilize and activate it. Notably, Nrf2 also binds to caveolin-1 (Cav1), which protects Nrf2 from Keap1-mediated degradation and limits Nrf2 nuclear translocation. We propose that Cav1serves as a signaling hub for the control of H2O2-mediated phosphorylation of Nrf2 by kinases, which results in release of Nrf2 from Cav1 to facilitate nuclear translocation. In summary, H2O2 induces GSH depletion which is recovered by Nrf2 activation dependent on p38/nSMase2/ceramide signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tetsuro Ishii
- School of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8577, Japan.
| | - Eiji Warabi
- School of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8577, Japan.
| | - Giovanni E Mann
- King's British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, School of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine & Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, UK.
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26
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Zhong L, Xia Y, He T, Wenjie S, Jinxia A, Lijun Y, Hui G. Polymeric photothermal nanoplatform with the inhibition of aquaporin 3 for anti-metastasis therapy of breast cancer. Acta Biomater 2022; 153:505-517. [PMID: 36115652 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2022.09.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Metastasis, as one of major challenges in the cancer treatment, is responsible for the high mortality of breast cancer. It has been reported that breast cancer cell invasion and metastasis are related to aquaporin 3 (AQP3), which is the transmembrane transport channel for H2O2 molecules. Moreover, there is agreement that preventing the metastasis of breast tumor cells in combination with inhibiting the tumor growth is a promising strategy for cancer chemotherapy. Herein, we constructed a flexible photothermal crosslinked polymeric nanovehicle for the delivery of the AQP3 inhibitor, [AuCl2(phen)]+Cl- (Auphen). The polymeric nanovehicle (pOMPC-Dex) is comprised of three modules: 1) pOEGMA-co-pMEO2MA serves as the temperature-responsive segment; 2) pCyanineMA acts as the near-infrared (NIR) optical absorbing motif for photothermal therapy and is conjugated with pOEGMA-co-pMEO2MA to obtain NIR light stimuli-responsive drug release; and 3) pPBAMA-Dex functions as an acidic tumor microenvironment-responsive unit. Auphen was encapsulated into a nanovehicle (Auphen@pOMPC-Dex) through electrostatic interactions. The designed nanoplatform showed a pH- and NIR light stimuli-responsive drug release profile and exhibited the strong inhibition of intracellular H2O2 uptake by breast cancer cells, which led to the inhibition of breast cancer cell migration and invasion in vitro. In a breast cancer mouse model, Auphen@pOMPC-Dex markedly reduced the number of lung metastases in tumor-bearing mice due to the combined suppression of tumor growth and metastasis. Consequently, the fabricated Auphen@pOMPC-Dex may provide a new strategy for the development of comprehensive oncotherapies. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: High mortality due to metastasis-induced breast cancer has been a key issue that needs to be addressed. It has been reported that aquaporin 3 (AQP3), a transmembrane transport channel for H2O2 molecules was found to have an accelerated effect on breast cancer cell migration. Hence, a flexible crosslinked polymeric nanoplatform with the inhibition of AQP3 was designed to inhibit metastasis of breast cancer cells. At the same time, we combined suppression of tumor growth with photothermal therapy to enhance the anticancer therapy effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luo Zhong
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Bioimaging, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Organic Solar Cells and Photochemical Conversion, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, PR China
| | - Yang Xia
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Bioimaging, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Organic Solar Cells and Photochemical Conversion, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, PR China
| | - Tan He
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Bioimaging, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Organic Solar Cells and Photochemical Conversion, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, PR China
| | - Shi Wenjie
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Bioimaging, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Organic Solar Cells and Photochemical Conversion, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, PR China
| | - An Jinxia
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Bioimaging, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Organic Solar Cells and Photochemical Conversion, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, PR China.
| | - Yang Lijun
- Key Laboratory of Radiopharmacokinetics for Innovative Drugs, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and Institute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin 300192, PR China.
| | - Gao Hui
- State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin, PR China.
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27
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Critical Role of Aquaporins in Cancer: Focus on Hematological Malignancies. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14174182. [PMID: 36077720 PMCID: PMC9455074 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14174182] [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: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Aquaporins are proteins able to regulate the transfer of water and other small substances such as ions, glycerol, urea, and hydrogen peroxide across cellular membranes. AQPs provide for a huge variety of physiological phenomena; their alteration provokes several types of pathologies including cancer and hematological malignancies. Our review presents data revealing the possibility of employing aquaporins as biomarkers in patients with hematological malignancies and evaluates the possibility that interfering with the expression of aquaporins could represent an effective treatment for hematological malignancies. Abstract Aquaporins are transmembrane molecules regulating the transfer of water and other compounds such as ions, glycerol, urea, and hydrogen peroxide. Their alteration has been reported in several conditions such as cancer. Tumor progression might be enhanced by aquaporins in modifying tumor angiogenesis, cell volume adaptation, proteases activity, cell–matrix adhesions, actin cytoskeleton, epithelial–mesenchymal transitions, and acting on several signaling pathways facilitating cancer progression. Close connections have also been identified between the aquaporins and hematological malignancies. However, it is difficult to identify a unique action exerted by aquaporins in different hemopathies, and each aquaporin has specific effects that vary according to the class of aquaporin examined and to the different neoplastic cells. However, the expression of aquaporins is altered in cell cultures and in patients with acute and chronic myeloid leukemia, in lymphoproliferative diseases and in multiple myeloma, and the different expression of aquaporins seems to be able to influence the efficacy of treatment and could have a prognostic significance, as greater expression of aquaporins is correlated to improved overall survival in leukemia patients. Finally, we assessed the possibility that modifying the aquaporin expression using aquaporin-targeting regulators, specific monoclonal antibodies, and even aquaporin gene transfer could represent an effective therapy of hematological malignancies.
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28
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Centrone M, D’Agostino M, Ranieri M, Mola MG, Faviana P, Lippolis PV, Silvestris DA, Venneri M, Di Mise A, Valenti G, Tamma G. dDAVP Downregulates the AQP3-Mediated Glycerol Transport via V1aR in Human Colon HCT8 Cells. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:919438. [PMID: 35874817 PMCID: PMC9304624 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.919438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Vasopressin (AVP) plays a key function in controlling body water and salt balance through the activation of the vasopressin receptors V1aR and V2R. Abnormal secretion of AVP can cause the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis that leads to hyponatremia, which is an electrolyte disorder often observed in the elderly hospitalized and oncologic patients. Beyond kidneys, the colonic epithelium modulates water and salt homeostasis. The water channel AQP3, expressed in villus epithelial cells is implicated in water absorption across human colonic surface cells. Here, the action of dDAVP, a stable vasopressin analog, was evaluated on the AQP3 expression and function using human colon HCT8 cells as an experimental model. Confocal and Western Blotting analysis revealed that HCT8 cells express both V1aR and V2R. Long-term (72 h) treatment with dDAVP reduced glycerol uptake and cell viability. These effects were prevented by SR49059, a synthetic antagonist of V1aR, but not by tolvaptan, a specific V2R antagonist. Of note, the SR49059 action was impaired by DFP00173, a selective inhibitor of AQP3. Interestingly, compared to the normal colonic mucosa, in the colon of patients with adenocarcinoma, the expression of V1aR was significantly decreased. These findings were confirmed by gene expression analysis with RNA-Seq data. Overall, data suggest that dDAVP, through the V1aR dependent pathway, reduces AQP3 mediated glycerol uptake, a process that is reversed in adenocarcinoma, suggesting that the AVP-dependent AQP3 pathway may represent a novel target in colon diseases associated with abnormal cell growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariangela Centrone
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Mariagrazia D’Agostino
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Marianna Ranieri
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Mola
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Pinuccia Faviana
- Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology, and Critical Area, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | | | | | - Maria Venneri
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Annarita Di Mise
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Giovanna Valenti
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Grazia Tamma
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
- *Correspondence: Grazia Tamma,
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29
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Bystrup M, Login FH, Edamana S, Borgquist S, Tramm T, Kwon TH, Nejsum LN. Aquaporin-5 in breast cancer. APMIS 2022; 130:253-260. [PMID: 35114014 PMCID: PMC9314690 DOI: 10.1111/apm.13212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The water channel aquaporin‐5 (AQP5) is essential in transepithelial water transport in secretory glands. AQP5 is ectopically overexpressed in breast cancer, where expression is associated with lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis. Besides the role in water transport, AQP5 has been found to play a role in cancer metastasis, migration, and proliferation. AQP5 has also been shown to be involved in the dysregulation of epithelial cell–cell adhesion; frequently observed in cancers. Insight into the underlying molecular mechanisms of how AQP5 contributes to cancer development and progression is essential for potentially implementing AQP5 as a prognostic biomarker and to develop targeted intervention strategies for the treatment of breast cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malte Bystrup
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus N, Denmark.,Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Frédéric H Login
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus N, Denmark
| | - Sarannya Edamana
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus N, Denmark
| | - Signe Borgquist
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus N, Denmark.,Department of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus N, Denmark.,Department of Oncology, Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Trine Tramm
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus N, Denmark.,Department of Pathology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus N, Denmark
| | - Tae-Hwan Kwon
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Taegu, Korea
| | - Lene N Nejsum
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus N, Denmark
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30
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Tricarico PM, Mentino D, De Marco A, Del Vecchio C, Garra S, Cazzato G, Foti C, Crovella S, Calamita G. Aquaporins Are One of the Critical Factors in the Disruption of the Skin Barrier in Inflammatory Skin Diseases. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:4020. [PMID: 35409378 PMCID: PMC8999368 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23074020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The skin is the largest organ of the human body, serving as an effective mechanical barrier between the internal milieu and the external environment. The skin is widely considered the first-line defence of the body, with an essential function in rejecting pathogens and preventing mechanical, chemical, and physical damages. Keratinocytes are the predominant cells of the outer skin layer, the epidermis, which acts as a mechanical and water-permeability barrier. The epidermis is a permanently renewed tissue where undifferentiated keratinocytes located at the basal layer proliferate and migrate to the overlying layers. During this migration process, keratinocytes undertake a differentiation program known as keratinization process. Dysregulation of this differentiation process can result in a series of skin disorders. In this context, aquaporins (AQPs), a family of membrane channel proteins allowing the movement of water and small neutral solutes, are emerging as important players in skin physiology and skin diseases. Here, we review the role of AQPs in skin keratinization, hydration, keratinocytes proliferation, water retention, barrier repair, wound healing, and immune response activation. We also discuss the dysregulated involvement of AQPs in some common inflammatory dermatological diseases characterised by skin barrier disruption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Maura Tricarico
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Via dell’Istria 65/1, 34137 Trieste, Italy;
| | - Donatella Mentino
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Via E. Orabona, 4, 70125 Bari, Italy; (D.M.); (S.G.)
| | - Aurora De Marco
- Section of Dermatology, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Piazza Giulio Cesare, 11, 70121 Bari, Italy;
| | - Cecilia Del Vecchio
- Dermatology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy;
| | - Sabino Garra
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Via E. Orabona, 4, 70125 Bari, Italy; (D.M.); (S.G.)
| | - Gerardo Cazzato
- Section of Pathology, Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation (DETO), University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70121 Bari, Italy;
| | - Caterina Foti
- Section of Dermatology, Department of Biomedical Science and Human Oncology, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Piazza Giulio Cesare, 11, 70121 Bari, Italy;
| | - Sergio Crovella
- Biological Science Program, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Qatar, Doha 2713, Qatar;
| | - Giuseppe Calamita
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Via E. Orabona, 4, 70125 Bari, Italy; (D.M.); (S.G.)
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Cellular Distribution of Brain Aquaporins and Their Contribution to Cerebrospinal Fluid Homeostasis and Hydrocephalus. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12040530. [PMID: 35454119 PMCID: PMC9025855 DOI: 10.3390/biom12040530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain aquaporins facilitate the movement of water between the four water compartments: blood, cerebrospinal fluid, interstitial fluid, and intracellular fluid. This work analyzes the expression of the four most abundant aquaporins (AQPs) (AQP1, AQP4, AQP9, and AQP11) in the brains of mice and discuss their contribution to hydrocephalus. We analyzed available data from single-cell RNA sequencing of the central nervous system of mice to describe the expression of aquaporins and compare their distribution with that based on qPCR, western blot, and immunohistochemistry assays. Expression of AQP1 in the apical cell membrane of choroid plexus epithelial cells and of AQP4 in ependymal cells, glia limitans, and astrocyte processes in the pericapillary end foot is consistent with the involvement of both proteins in cerebrospinal fluid homeostasis. The expression of both aquaporins compensates for experimentally induced hydrocephalus in the animals. Recent data demonstrate that hypoxia in aged animals alters AQP4 expression in the choroidal plexus and cortex, increasing the ventricle size and intraventricular pressure. Cerebral distensibility is reduced in parallel with a reduction in cerebrospinal fluid drainage and cognitive deterioration. We propose that aged mice chronically exposed to hypoxia represent an excellent experimental model for studying the pathophysiological characteristics of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus and roles for AQPs in such disease.
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32
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Chen Z, Jiao S, Zhao D, Zou Q, Xu L, Zhang L, Su X. The Characterization of Structure and Prediction for Aquaporin in Tumour Progression by Machine Learning. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:845622. [PMID: 35178393 PMCID: PMC8844512 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.845622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Recurrence and new cases of cancer constitute a challenging human health problem. Aquaporins (AQPs) can be expressed in many types of tumours, including the brain, breast, pancreas, colon, skin, ovaries, and lungs, and the histological grade of cancer is positively correlated with AQP expression. Therefore, the identification of aquaporins is an area to explore. Computational tools play an important role in aquaporin identification. In this research, we propose reliable, accurate and automated sequence predictor iAQPs-RF to identify AQPs. In this study, the feature extraction method was 188D (global protein sequence descriptor, GPSD). Six common classifiers, including random forest (RF), NaiveBayes (NB), support vector machine (SVM), XGBoost, logistic regression (LR) and decision tree (DT), were used for AQP classification. The classification results show that the random forest (RF) algorithm is the most suitable machine learning algorithm, and the accuracy was 97.689%. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to analyse these characteristics. Feature rank based on the ANOVA method and IFS strategy was applied to search for the optimal features. The classification results suggest that the 26th feature (neutral/hydrophobic) and 21st feature (hydrophobic) are the two most powerful and informative features that distinguish AQPs from non-AQPs. Previous studies reported that plasma membrane proteins have hydrophobic characteristics. Aquaporin subcellular localization prediction showed that all aquaporins were plasma membrane proteins with highly conserved transmembrane structures. In addition, the 3D structure of aquaporins was consistent with the localization results. Therefore, these studies confirmed that aquaporins possess hydrophobic properties. Although aquaporins are highly conserved transmembrane structures, the phylogenetic tree shows the diversity of aquaporins during evolution. The PCA showed that positive and negative samples were well separated by 54D features, indicating that the 54D feature can effectively classify aquaporins. The online prediction server is accessible at http://lab.malab.cn/∼acy/iAQP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Chen
- School of Applied Chemistry and Biological Technology, Shenzhen Polytechnic, Shenzhen, China.,Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Shihu Jiao
- Yangtze Delta Region Institute (Quzhou), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Quzhou, China
| | - Da Zhao
- School of Applied Chemistry and Biological Technology, Shenzhen Polytechnic, Shenzhen, China.,Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Quan Zou
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.,Yangtze Delta Region Institute (Quzhou), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Quzhou, China
| | - Lei Xu
- School of Electronic and Communication Engineering, Shenzhen Polytechnic, Shenzhen, China
| | - Lijun Zhang
- School of Applied Chemistry and Biological Technology, Shenzhen Polytechnic, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xi Su
- Foshan Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Foshan, China
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Pimpão C, Wragg D, da Silva IV, Casini A, Soveral G. Aquaglyceroporin Modulators as Emergent Pharmacological Molecules for Human Diseases. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:845237. [PMID: 35187089 PMCID: PMC8850838 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.845237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Aquaglyceroporins, a sub-class of aquaporins that facilitate the diffusion of water, glycerol and other small uncharged solutes across cell membranes, have been recognized for their important role in human physiology and their involvement in multiple disorders, mostly related to disturbed energy homeostasis. Aquaglyceroporins dysfunction in a variety of pathological conditions highlighted their targeting as novel therapeutic strategies, boosting the search for potent and selective modulators with pharmacological properties. The identification of selective inhibitors with potential clinical applications has been challenging, relying on accurate assays to measure membrane glycerol permeability and validate effective functional blockers. Additionally, biologicals such as hormones and natural compounds have been revealed as alternative strategies to modulate aquaglyceroporins via their gene and protein expression. This review summarizes the current knowledge of aquaglyceroporins’ involvement in several pathologies and the experimental approaches used to evaluate glycerol permeability and aquaglyceroporin modulation. In addition, we provide an update on aquaglyceroporins modulators reported to impact disease, unveiling aquaglyceroporin pharmacological targeting as a promising approach for innovative therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina Pimpão
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Medicines, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Darren Wragg
- Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Inês V. da Silva
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Medicines, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Angela Casini
- Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- *Correspondence: Angela Casini, ; Graça Soveral,
| | - Graça Soveral
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Medicines, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- *Correspondence: Angela Casini, ; Graça Soveral,
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Geistlinger K, Schmidt JDR, Beitz E. Lactic Acid Permeability of Aquaporin-9 Enables Cytoplasmic Lactate Accumulation via an Ion Trap. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:life12010120. [PMID: 35054513 PMCID: PMC8779662 DOI: 10.3390/life12010120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: Human aquaporin-9 (AQP9) conducts several small uncharged metabolites, such as glycerol, urea, and lactic acid. Certain brain tumors were shown to upregulate AQP9 expression, and the putative increase in lactic acid permeability was assigned to severity. (2) Methods: We expressed AQP9 and human monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) in yeast to determine the uptake rates and accumulation of radiolabeled l-lactate/l-lactic acid in different external pH conditions. (3) Results: The AQP9-mediated uptake of l-lactic acid was slow compared to MCT1 at neutral and slightly acidic pH, due to low concentrations of the neutral substrate species. At a pH corresponding to the pKa of l-lactic acid, uptake via AQP9 was faster than via MCT1. Substrate accumulation was fundamentally different between AQP9 and MCT1. With MCT1, an equilibrium was reached, at which the intracellular and extracellular l-lactate/H+ concentrations were balanced. Uptake via AQP9 was linear, theoretically yielding orders of magnitude of higher substrate accumulation than MCT1. (4) Conclusions: The selectivity of AQP9 for neutral l-lactic acid establishes an ion trap for l-lactate after dissociation. This may be physiologically relevant if the transmembrane proton gradient is steep, and AQP9 acts as the sole uptake path on at least one side of a polarized cell.
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Wang Y, Guo Y, Zhuang T, Xu T, Ji M. SP1-Induced Upregulation of lncRNA LINC00659 Promotes Tumour Progression in Gastric Cancer by Regulating miR-370/AQP3 Axis. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:936037. [PMID: 35957833 PMCID: PMC9361049 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.936037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Growing evidence demonstrates that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in various human tumors. LncRNA LINC00659 (LINC00659) is a newly identified lncRNA and its roles in tumors remain largely unclear. In this study, we elucidated the potential functions and molecular mechanisms of LINC00659 on the biological behaviors of gastric cancer (GC), and also explored its clinical significance. We firstly demonstrated that LINC00659 levels were distinctly up-regulated in both GC specimens and cells using bioinformatics analysis and RT-PCR. The results of ChIP assays and luciferase reporter assays confirmed that upregulation of LINC00659 was activated by SP1 in GC. Clinical assays revealed that higher levels of LINC00659 were associated with TNM stage, lymphatic metastasis, and poorer prognosis. Moreover, LINC00659 was confirmed to be an independent prognostic marker for the patients with GC using multivariate assays. Lost-of-function assays indicated that knockdown of LINC00659 suppressed the proliferation, metastasis, and EMT progress of GC cells in vitro. Mechanistic investigation indicated that LINC00659 served as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR-370, thereby resulting in the upregulation of leading to the depression of its endogenous target gene AQP3. Overall, our present study revealed that the LINC00659/miR-370/AQP3 axis contributes to GC progression, which may provide clues for the exploration of cancer biomarkers and therapeutic targets for GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Wang
- Department of General Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yuanyuan Guo
- School of Medicine Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Tianchi Zhuang
- School of Nursing, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ting Xu
- School of Nursing, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Minghui Ji
- School of Nursing, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- *Correspondence: Minghui Ji,
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Yepes-Molina L, Carvajal M. Nanoencapsulation of sulforaphane in broccoli membrane vesicles and their in vitro antiproliferative activity. PHARMACEUTICAL BIOLOGY 2021; 59:1490-1504. [PMID: 34714214 PMCID: PMC8567929 DOI: 10.1080/13880209.2021.1992450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT The development of nanocarriers of plant origin, such as plant cell membranes, has recently been investigated. Also, plant bioactive compounds as sulforaphane (SFN) from broccoli have recognized antioxidant or anticancer properties. OBJECTIVE To investigate the capacity of membrane vesicles from broccoli (BM-vesicles) to encapsulate SFN and their application in the cancer cell line. MATERIALS AND METHODS Physicochemical analysis was carried out to characterize BM-vesicles through different approaches: dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, stopped-flow analysis, and proteomic analysis. They were applied at different concentrations (BM-vesicles at 0.04-0.00315% of protein and SFN at 5, 25, and 100 µM) in SK-MEL-28 cells during 24 h for studying cytotoxicity and gene expression. RESULTS The entrapment efficiency was 41%. The anticancer activity tested in cells showed a decrease in proliferation when SFN in BM-vesicles was utilized. Expression patterns when SFN was applied in an encapsulated form showed a reduction of cancer markers and an increase of AQP3. Also, the metabolism of SFN occurred inside of cells, and higher SFN penetrated when it was encapsulated. DISCUSSION The results showed that encapsulated SFN was better absorbed by melanoma cells providing metabolism products and a reduction of cancer molecular markers. Also aquaporin, AQP3 was pointed to as an important marker since it appeared to play a key role in homeostasis due to the importance of water transport in biological processes. CONCLUSION These results indicate that SFN and SFN encapsulated in BM-vesicles have a high activity for the inhibition of melanocyte development. Therefore, BM-vesicles could serve as nanocarriers for drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucía Yepes-Molina
- Aquaporins Group, Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura (CEBAS-CSIC), Murcia, Spain
| | - Micaela Carvajal
- Aquaporins Group, Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura (CEBAS-CSIC), Murcia, Spain
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Bruun-Sørensen AS, Edamana S, Login FH, Borgquist S, Nejsum LN. Aquaporins in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. APMIS 2021; 129:700-705. [PMID: 34582595 DOI: 10.1111/apm.13184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Aquaporins are water channel proteins facilitating passive transport of water across cellular membranes. Aquaporins are over- or ectopically expressed in a multitude of cancers, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, which is a highly aggressive cancer with low survival rate. Evidence suggests that aquaporins can affect multiple cellular processes involved in cancer development and progression including epithelial-mesenchymal transition, cellular migration, cell proliferation, invasion, and cellular adhesions. In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, aquaporin-1, aquaporin-3, and aquaporin-5 are overexpressed and have been associated with metastatic processes and poor survival. Thus, aquaporin expression has been suggested as diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Sofie Bruun-Sørensen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus N, Denmark
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Sarannya Edamana
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus N, Denmark
| | - Frédéric H Login
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus N, Denmark
| | - Signe Borgquist
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus N, Denmark
- Department of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus N, Denmark
- Department of Oncology, Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Lene N Nejsum
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus N, Denmark
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The Cardiac Glycoside Deslanoside Exerts Anticancer Activity in Prostate Cancer Cells by Modulating Multiple Signaling Pathways. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13225809. [PMID: 34830961 PMCID: PMC8616045 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13225809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Prostate cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men, and novel therapies for advanced PCa are urgently needed. Cardiac glycosides are a group of attractive candidates for anticancer repurposing, but deslanoside has not been tested for a potential anticancer effect so far. This study aims to test the anticancer effect of deslanoside in PCa and investigate the underlying mechanisms. Deslanoside effectively inhibited colony formation and tumor growth in multiple prostate cancer cell lines. Such an inhibitory effect involved both the cell cycle arrest at G2/M and the induction of apoptosis. Deslanoside altered the expression of many genes, which belonged to various cancer-associated cellular processes and signaling pathways. Altered expression levels for 15 deslanoside-modulated genes correlate with recurrence-free survival or overall survival in PCa patients, some of which have not been implicated in cancer before. Therefore, deslanoside exerts anticancer activity in PCa cells by modulating gene expression. Abstract Prostate cancer (PCa) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men worldwide, and novel therapies for advanced PCa are urgently needed. Cardiac glycosides represent an attractive group of candidates for anticancer repurposing, but the cardiac glycoside deslanoside has not been tested for potential anticancer activity so far. We found that deslanoside effectively inhibited colony formation in vitro and tumor growth in nude mice of PCa cell lines 22Rv1, PC-3, and DU 145. Such an anticancer activity was mediated by both the cell cycle arrest at G2/M and the induction of apoptosis, as demonstrated by different functional assays and the expression status of regulatory proteins of cell cycle and apoptosis in cultured cells. Moreover, deslanoside suppressed the invasion and migration of PCa cell lines. Genome-wide expression profiling and bioinformatic analyses revealed that 130 genes were either upregulated or downregulated by deslanoside in both 22Rv1 and PC-3 cell lines. These genes enriched multiple cellular processes, such as response to steroid hormones, regulation of lipid metabolism, epithelial cell proliferation and its regulation, and negative regulation of cell migration. They also enriched multiple signaling pathways, such as necroptosis, MAPK, NOD-like receptor, and focal adhesion. Survival analyses of the 130 genes in the TCGA PCa database revealed that 10 of the deslanoside-downregulated genes (ITG2B, CNIH2, FBF1, PABPC1L, MMP11, DUSP9, TMEM121, SOX18, CMPK2, and MAMDC4) inversely correlated, while one deslanoside-upregulated gene (RASD1) positively correlated, with disease-free survival in PCa patients. In addition, one deslanoside-downregulated gene (ENG) inversely correlated, while three upregulated genes (JUN, MXD1, and AQP3) positively correlated with overall survival in PCa patients. Some of the 15 genes have not been implicated in cancer before. These findings provide another candidate for repurposing cardiac glycosides for anticancer drugs. They also suggest that a diverse range of molecular events underlie deslanoside’s anticancer activity in PCa cells.
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Traberg-Nyborg L, Login FH, Edamana S, Tramm T, Borgquist S, Nejsum LN. Aquaporin-1 in breast cancer. APMIS 2021; 130:3-10. [PMID: 34758159 DOI: 10.1111/apm.13192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The canonical function of aquaporin (AQP) water channels is to facilitate passive transport of water across cellular membranes making them essential in the regulation of body water homeostasis. Moreover, AQPs, including AQP1, have been found to be overexpressed in multiple cancer types, including breast cancer, where AQP1 overexpression is associated with poor prognosis. AQPs have been shown to affect cellular processes associated with cancer progression and spread including cell migration, angiogenesis, and proliferation. Moreover, AQPs can regulate levels of adhesion proteins at cell-cell junctions, a regulatory role, which is still largely unexplored in cancer. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of how AQP1 contributes to breast cancer progression and metastatic processes is essential to establish AQP1 as a biomarker and to develop targeted anticancer treatments for breast cancer patients. This mini-review focuses on the role of AQP1 in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Traberg-Nyborg
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus N.,Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus C
| | | | | | - Trine Tramm
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus N.,Department of Pathology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus N
| | - Signe Borgquist
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus N.,Department of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus N, Denmark.,Department of Oncology, Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Lene N Nejsum
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus N
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Wu J, Gan Y, Luo H, Xu N, Chen L, Li M, Guan F, Su Z, Lin Z, Xie J, Liu Y. β-Patchoulene Ameliorates Water Transport and the Mucus Barrier in 5-Fluorouracil-Induced Intestinal Mucositis Rats via the cAMP/PKA/CREB Signaling Pathway. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:689491. [PMID: 34512326 PMCID: PMC8424048 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.689491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Intestinal mucositis (IM) is the main side effect observed in patients who receive cancer chemotherapy. The characteristics of ulceration, vomiting, and severe diarrhea cause patients to delay or abandon further treatment, thereby aggravating their progress. Hence, IM cannot be overlooked. β-patchoulene (β-PAE) is an active ingredient isolated from Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth (Labiatae) and has shown a marked protective effect against gastrointestinal diseases in previous studies. However, whether β-PAE plays a positive role in IM is still unknown. Herein, we explore the effects and the underlying mechanism of β-PAE against 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-induced IM in IEC-6 cells and rats. β-PAE significantly recovered cell viability, upregulated the IM-induced rat body weight and food intake and improved the pathological diarrhea symptoms. Aquaporin is critical for regulating water fluid homeostasis, and its abnormal expression was associated with pathological diarrhea in IM. β-PAE displayed an outstanding effect in inhibiting aquaporin 3 (AQP3) via the cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA)/cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) signaling pathway. Besides, inflammation-induced mucus barrier injury deteriorated water transport and aggravated diarrhea in IM-induced rats. β-PAE’s effect on suppressing inflammation and recovering the mucus barrier strengthened its regulation of water transport and thus alleviated diarrhea in IM-induced rats. In sum, β-PAE improved IM in rats mainly by improving water transport and the mucus barrier, and these effects were correlated with its function on inhibiting the cAMP/PKA/CREB signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiazhen Wu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuxuan Gan
- The Second Clinical Medical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huijuan Luo
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Nan Xu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Liping Chen
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Mengyao Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fengkun Guan
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ziren Su
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.,Department of Basic Research, Dongguan Institute of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Dongguan, China
| | - Zhixiu Lin
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jianhui Xie
- The Second Clinical Medical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.,State Key Laboratory of Dampness Syndrome of Chinese Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Research on Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuhong Liu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.,Department of Basic Research, Dongguan Institute of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Dongguan, China
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Dos Passos Junior RR, de Freitas RA, Reppetti J, Medina Y, Dela Justina V, Bach CW, Bomfim GF, Lima VV, Damiano AE, Giachini FR. High Levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Reduce Placental Aquaporin 3 Expression and Impair in vitro Trophoblastic Cell Migration. Front Physiol 2021; 12:696495. [PMID: 34267676 PMCID: PMC8276056 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.696495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Placentas from preeclamptic women display augmented tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels with reduced expression of aquaporin 3 (AQP3). However, whether TNF-α modulates AQP3 expression remains to be elucidated. We hypothesize that elevated levels of TNF-α reduce AQP3 expression and negatively impact trophoblastic cell migration. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and Wistar rats (14-16 weeks) were divided into hypertensive and normotensive groups, respectively. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured, and animals mated. In a third group, pregnant SHRs were treated with a TNF-α antagonist, etanercept (0.8 mg/kg, subcutaneously) on days 0, 6, 12, and 18 of pregnancy. Placentas were collected on the 20th day of pregnancy. Human placental explants, from normotensive pregnancies, were incubated with TNF-α (5, 10, and 20 ng/ml) and/or etanercept (1 μg/ml). Swan 71 cells were incubated with TNF-α (10 ng/ml) and/or etanercept (1 μg/ml) and subjected to the wound healing assay. AQP3 expression was assessed by Western blot and TNF-α levels by ELISA. SBP (mmHg) was elevated in the hypertensive group, and etanercept treatment reduced this parameter. Placental TNF-α levels (pg/ml) were higher in the hypertensive group. AQP3 expression was reduced in the hypertensive group, and etanercept treatment reversed this parameter. Explants submitted to TNF-α exposition displayed reduced expression of AQP3, and etanercept incubation reversed it. Trophoblastic cells incubated with TNF-α showed decreased cell migration and reduced AQP3 expression, and etanercept incubation ameliorated it. Altogether, these data demonstrate that high TNF-α levels negatively modulate AQP3 in placental tissue, impairing cell migration, and its relationship in a pregnancy affected by hypertension.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Julieta Reppetti
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Physiology and Biophysics Bernardo Houssay (IFIBIO)-CONICET, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Yollyseth Medina
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Physiology and Biophysics Bernardo Houssay (IFIBIO)-CONICET, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Camila Werle Bach
- Institute of Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Barra do Garças, Brazil
| | | | - Victor Vitorino Lima
- Institute of Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Barra do Garças, Brazil
| | - Alicia E Damiano
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Physiology and Biophysics Bernardo Houssay (IFIBIO)-CONICET, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Fernanda R Giachini
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Goias, Goiânia, Brazil.,Institute of Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Barra do Garças, Brazil
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Weidle UH, Birzele F, Brinkmann U, Auslaender S. Gastric Cancer: Identification of microRNAs Inhibiting Druggable Targets and Mediating Efficacy in Preclinical In Vivo Models. Cancer Genomics Proteomics 2021; 18:497-514. [PMID: 34183383 DOI: 10.21873/cgp.20275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In addition to chemotherapy, targeted therapies have been approved for treatment of locally advanced and metastatic gastric cancer. The therapeutic benefit is significant but more durable responses and improvement of survival should be achieved. Therefore, the identification of new targets and new approaches for clinical treatment are of paramount importance. In this review, we searched the literature for down-regulated microRNAs which interfere with druggable targets and exhibit efficacy in preclinical in vivo efficacy models. As druggable targets, we selected transmembrane receptors, secreted factors and enzymes. We identified 38 microRNAs corresponding to the criteria as outlined. A total of 13 miRs target transmembrane receptors, nine inhibit secreted proteins and 16 attenuate enzymes. These microRNAs are targets for reconstitution therapy of gastric cancer. Further target validation experiments are mandatory for all of the identified microRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich H Weidle
- Large Molecule Research, Roche Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), Roche Innovation Center Munich, Penzberg, Germany;
| | - Fabian Birzele
- Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Pharma Research and Early Development (pRed), Roche Innovation Center Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ulrich Brinkmann
- Large Molecule Research, Roche Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), Roche Innovation Center Munich, Penzberg, Germany;
| | - Simon Auslaender
- Large Molecule Research, Roche Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), Roche Innovation Center Munich, Penzberg, Germany
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Oberska P, Jedrzejczak-Silicka M, Michałek K, Grabowska M. Initial assessment of suitability of MCF-7 and HepG2 cancer cell lines for AQP3 research in cancer biology. Acta Histochem 2021; 123:151716. [PMID: 33933702 DOI: 10.1016/j.acthis.2021.151716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Revised: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Cancer cell lines are widely used as in vitro models to elucidate biological processes in cancer, and as a tool to evaluate anticancer agents. In fact, the use of an appropriate cancer cell line in cancer research is crucial for investigating new, potential factors involved in carcinogenesis. One of them is aquaporin-3 (AQP3), which is a small, hydrophobic, integral membrane protein with a predominant role in water and glycerol transport. Recently, altered expression of AQP3 has been reported in many types of cancer. Increasing evidence strongly suggests that AQP3 plays a key role in cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion. In this study, we performed an insightful characteristic of AQP3 location and its protein expression in MCF-7 human breast adenocarcinoma and HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines in the context of cancer biology using immunocytochemistry, immunofluorescence and Western blot analyses. AQP3 was found to be located in the cell membrane and cytoplasm of MCF-7 cells, and in the cytoplasm and nuclear membrane of HepG2 cells. Immunoblotting of proteins derived from both cell lines revealed a clear band with a molecular weight of approx. 30 kDa representing an unglycosylated form of AQP3. However, the expression of this protein was higher in MCF-7 than in HepG2. Concluding, our results clearly indicated variability in both the expression levels and subcellular location of the AQP3 protein in MCF-7 and HepG2 cell lines. This leads to the possibility that the expression patterns and subcellular location of AQP3 in the tested cancer cell lines are tissue-of-origin specific, and may be related to the aggressiveness of cancer cells and their mobility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrycja Oberska
- Department of Physiology, Cytobiology and Proteomics, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Klemensa Janickiego 29, 71-270, Szczecin, Poland
| | - Magdalena Jedrzejczak-Silicka
- Laboratory of Cytogenetics, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Klemensa Janickiego 29, 71-270, Szczecin, Poland.
| | - Katarzyna Michałek
- Department of Physiology, Cytobiology and Proteomics, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Klemensa Janickiego 29, 71-270, Szczecin, Poland
| | - Marta Grabowska
- Department of Histology and Developmental Biology, Pomeranian Medical University, Żołnierska 48, 71-210, Szczecin, Poland
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AQP3 and AQP5-Potential Regulators of Redox Status in Breast Cancer. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26092613. [PMID: 33947079 PMCID: PMC8124745 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26092613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is still one of the leading causes of mortality in the female population. Despite the campaigns for early detection, the improvement in procedures and treatment, drastic improvement in survival rate is omitted. Discovery of aquaporins, at first described as cellular plumbing system, opened new insights in processes which contribute to cancer cell motility and proliferation. As we discover new pathways activated by aquaporins, the more we realize the complexity of biological processes and the necessity to fully understand the pathways affected by specific aquaporin in order to gain the desired outcome-remission of the disease. Among the 13 human aquaporins, AQP3 and AQP5 were shown to be significantly upregulated in breast cancer indicating their role in the development of this malignancy. Therefore, these two aquaporins will be discussed for their involvement in breast cancer development, regulation of oxidative stress and redox signalling pathways leading to possibly targeting them for new therapies.
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Aquaporins implicated in the cell proliferation and the signaling pathways of cell stemness. Biochimie 2021; 188:52-60. [PMID: 33894294 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2021.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Revised: 04/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Aquaporins (AQPs) are water channel proteins facilitating passive transport of water and other small molecules across biomembranes. Regulation of osmotic homeostasis via AQPs is accompanied by dynamic participation of various cellular signaling pathways. Recently emerging evidence reveals that functional roles of AQPs are further extended from the osmotic regulation via water permeation into the cell proliferation and differentiation. In particular, anomalous expression of AQPs has been demonstrated in various types of cancer cells and cancer stem-like cells and it has been proposed as markers for proliferation and progression of cancer cells. Thus, a more comprehensive view on AQPs could bring a great interest in the cell stemness accompanied by the expression of AQPs. AQPs are broadly expressed across tissues and cells in a cell type- and lineage-specific manner during development via spatiotemporal transcriptional regulation. Moreover, AQPs are expressed in various adult stem cells and cells associated with a stem cell niche as well as cancer stem-like cells. However, the expression and regulatory mechanisms of AQP expression in stem cells have not been well understood. This review highlighted the AQPs expression in stem cell niches/stem cells and the involvement of AQPs in the cell proliferation and signaling pathways associated with cell stemness.
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Zhu H, Wu Y, Kang M, Zhang B. MiR-877 suppresses gastric cancer progression by downregulating AQP3. J Int Med Res 2021; 48:300060520903661. [PMID: 32543927 PMCID: PMC7298432 DOI: 10.1177/0300060520903661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Gastric cancer (GC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms of GC remain unclear. This study investigated the role of the miR-877-AQP3 axis in GC tumorigenesis. METHODS The levels of miR-877 expression were measured in GC tissues and cell lines by qRT-PCR. Functional assays were performed to elucidate the role of miR-877 in GC development. RESULTS Our results showed that miR-877 levels were lower in GC tissues and cell lines compared with the corresponding controls. Additionally, reduced miR-877 levels were associated with unfavorable prognoses. Increased miR-877 expression suppressed proliferation, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition, while promoting apoptosis in GC cells. Luciferase reporter assays showed that aquaporin 3 (AQP3) was a direct downstream target of miR-877. Overexpression of AQP3 partially rescued the tumor suppressive effects of miR-877 in GC cells. Moreover, miR-877 was negatively correlated with AQP3 mRNA expression in GC tissues. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that miR-877 plays a suppressive role in GC tumorigenesis by regulating AQP3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyu Zhu
- School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yulian Wu
- Department of General Surgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Muxing Kang
- Department of General Surgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Bo Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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Yde J, Keely SJ, Moeller HB. Expression, regulation and function of Aquaporin-3 in colonic epithelial cells. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2021; 1863:183619. [PMID: 33811845 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2021.183619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The human colon balances water and electrolyte absorption and secretion while also forming a barrier protecting the body from the entry of harmful components. Aquaporin-3 (AQP3) is a water, glycerol and H2O2 transporting channel expressed in colonic epithelia. Although expression of colonic epithelial AQP3 is altered in several intestinal disorders, such as inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome, the regulation and specific roles of AQP3 remain to be fully defined. In this mini-review, we summarize the current understanding of the expression, regulation, and biological functions of AQP3 protein in colonic epithelia concerning intestinal absorption, secretion and barrier function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Yde
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus DK-8000, Denmark
| | - Stephen J Keely
- Molecular Medicine Laboratories, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Education and Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Hanne B Moeller
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus DK-8000, Denmark.
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Nong Y, Li S, Liu W, Zhang X, Fan L, Chen Y, Huang Q, Zhang Q, Liu F. Aquaporin 3 promotes human extravillous trophoblast migration and invasion. Reprod Biol Endocrinol 2021; 19:49. [PMID: 33781292 PMCID: PMC8006384 DOI: 10.1186/s12958-021-00726-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
PROBLEM Does aquaporin 3 (AQP3) affect the migration and invasion of human extravillous trophoblast (HTR8/Svneo) cells? METHOD OF STUDY A lentivirus infection system was used to construct stable cell lines with either AQP3 knockdown or overexpression. RT-PCR and western blotting were used to verify the efficiencies of AQP3 knockdown or overexpression in HTR8/Svneo cells at mRNA and protein levels, respectively. Cell Counting Kit-8 and flow cytometry assays were used to detect the influence of AQP3 knockdown or overexpression on proliferation and apoptosis of HTR8/Svneo cells. In addition, wound healing and Transwell invasion assays were used to detect the effects of AQP3 knockdown or overexpression on migration and invasion capabilities of HTR8/Svneo cells. An Agilent gene chip was used to screen for significant differentially expressed genes after AQP3 knockdown. Finally, mechanisms by which AQP3 influences the migration and invasion of HTR8/Svneo cells were explored using bioinformatic analysis. RESULTS Compared with controls, migration and invasion capabilities of HTR8/Svneo cells were significantly reduced after AQP3 knockdown, and significantly increased after AQP3 overexpression. Subsequent bioinformatic analysis of gene chip expression profiles indicated downregulation of genes related to adhesion such as PDGF-B, as well as signaling pathways (such as PIK3/AKT, NF-κB, and TNF) after AQP3 knockdown. CONCLUSIONS AQP3 could significantly promote migration and invasion capabilities of human extravillous trophoblasts, it may mediate embryo invasion and adhesion to endometrium by regulating PDGF-B, PIK3/AKT signaling pathways, although this requires further verification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingqi Nong
- grid.412601.00000 0004 1760 3828The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
- grid.459579.3Department of Reproductive Health and Infertility, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong China
| | - Shifen Li
- grid.284723.80000 0000 8877 7471Reproductive Medicine Center, Affiliated Shenzhen City Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital of Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Wenjuan Liu
- grid.459579.3Department of Reproductive Health and Infertility, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong China
| | - Xiqian Zhang
- grid.459579.3Department of Reproductive Health and Infertility, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong China
| | - Lin Fan
- grid.459579.3Department of Reproductive Health and Infertility, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong China
| | - Ye Chen
- grid.459579.3Department of Reproductive Health and Infertility, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong China
| | - Qianwen Huang
- grid.459579.3Department of Reproductive Health and Infertility, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong China
| | - Qianyu Zhang
- grid.459579.3Department of Reproductive Health and Infertility, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong China
| | - Fenghua Liu
- grid.459579.3Department of Reproductive Health and Infertility, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong China
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Chen P, Li Q, Zhou Y, Lu H, Chen H, Qian M, Chen J. Clinical implication of aquaporin 9 in non-small cell lung cancer patients: its expression and relationship with clinical features and prognosis. Ir J Med Sci 2021; 191:651-658. [PMID: 33759071 DOI: 10.1007/s11845-021-02523-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Aquaporin 9 (AQP9) is recognized as a key regulator in several cancers, whereas little is known about its clinical implication in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Thus, we aimed to explore AQP9 expression and its relationship with clinical features, prognosis in NSCLC patients. METHODS One hundred ninety-eight NSCLC patients who received resection were retrospectively enrolled. This study contained two cohorts: in cohort A, AQP9 protein expression (from formalin fixed paraffin embedded tumor and paired adjacent tissue specimens) in 198 patients was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). In cohort B, AQP9 mRNA expression (from fresh-frozen tumor and paired adjacent tissues) in 108 patients (out of 198 patients) was detected by RT-qPCR. RESULTS In cohort A, increased AQP9 IHC score and greater proportion of AQP9 protein high expression cases were shown in tumor tissue than adjacent tissue (both P < 0.001). Tumor AQP9 protein high expression correlated with lymph node (LYN) metastasis (P = 0.002) and raised TNM stage (P = 0.012). Interestingly, tumor AQP9 protein high expression related to worse disease-free survival (DFS) (P = 0.002) and overall survival (OS) (P = 0.026). In cohort B, AQP9 mRNA expression in tumor tissue was increased than adjacent tissue (P < 0.001), and tumor AQP9 mRNA high expression linked to LYN metastasis (P = 0.024) and increased TNM stage (P = 0.032) as well; tumor AQP9 mRNA high expression was related to shorter DFS (P = 0.009), and it presented with a trend to be correlated with worse OS (P = 0.054), but without statistical significance. CONCLUSION AQP9 serves as a potential indicator for monitoring disease progression and prognostication in NSCLC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peifeng Chen
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Zhuji Affiliated Hospital of Shaoxing University, NO. 9 Jianmin Road, Taozhu Streets, Zhuji, Zhejiang, China
| | - Qiaolian Li
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Zhuji Affiliated Hospital of Shaoxing University, NO. 9 Jianmin Road, Taozhu Streets, Zhuji, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yi Zhou
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Zhuji Affiliated Hospital of Shaoxing University, NO. 9 Jianmin Road, Taozhu Streets, Zhuji, Zhejiang, China
| | - Hong Lu
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Zhuji Affiliated Hospital of Shaoxing University, NO. 9 Jianmin Road, Taozhu Streets, Zhuji, Zhejiang, China
| | - Hejian Chen
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Zhuji Affiliated Hospital of Shaoxing University, NO. 9 Jianmin Road, Taozhu Streets, Zhuji, Zhejiang, China
| | - Minjia Qian
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Zhuji Affiliated Hospital of Shaoxing University, NO. 9 Jianmin Road, Taozhu Streets, Zhuji, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Jinyin Chen
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Zhuji Affiliated Hospital of Shaoxing University, NO. 9 Jianmin Road, Taozhu Streets, Zhuji, Zhejiang, China.
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Azad AK, Raihan T, Ahmed J, Hakim A, Emon TH, Chowdhury PA. Human Aquaporins: Functional Diversity and Potential Roles in Infectious and Non-infectious Diseases. Front Genet 2021; 12:654865. [PMID: 33796134 PMCID: PMC8007926 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.654865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Aquaporins (AQPs) are integral membrane proteins and found in all living organisms from bacteria to human. AQPs mainly involved in the transmembrane diffusion of water as well as various small solutes in a bidirectional manner are widely distributed in various human tissues. Human contains 13 AQPs (AQP0-AQP12) which are divided into three sub-classes namely orthodox aquaporin (AQP0, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8), aquaglyceroporin (AQP3, 7, 9, and 10) and super or unorthodox aquaporin (AQP11 and 12) based on their pore selectivity. Human AQPs are functionally diverse, which are involved in wide variety of non-infectious diseases including cancer, renal dysfunction, neurological disorder, epilepsy, skin disease, metabolic syndrome, and even cardiac diseases. However, the association of AQPs with infectious diseases has not been fully evaluated. Several studies have unveiled that AQPs can be regulated by microbial and parasitic infections that suggest their involvement in microbial pathogenesis, inflammation-associated responses and AQP-mediated cell water homeostasis. This review mainly aims to shed light on the involvement of AQPs in infectious and non-infectious diseases and potential AQPs-target modulators. Furthermore, AQP structures, tissue-specific distributions and their physiological relevance, functional diversity and regulations have been discussed. Altogether, this review would be useful for further investigation of AQPs as a potential therapeutic target for treatment of infectious as well as non-infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abul Kalam Azad
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Topu Raihan
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Jahed Ahmed
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh
- Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Al Hakim
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Tanvir Hossain Emon
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh
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