Aquaporin 3 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition in gastric cancer

Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research

Li-Zong Shen³  Shou-Lin Wang¹  Hao Xu³  Zhi-Hong Zhang²  Fei Gao⁴  Yang-Chun Zhou³  Tao Wang³  Jia Chen³ 

[1] School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China;Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China;Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Department of General Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, 210029 Nanjing, Jiangsu, China;Department of Internal Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

关键词: Vimentin;    E-cadherin;    Epithelial-mesenchymal transition;    Aquaporin 3;    Gastric cancer;   

Others  :  802755
DOI  :  10.1186/1756-9966-33-38

 received in 2014-03-10, accepted in 2014-04-28,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

Gastric carcinoma (GC) is a common and lethal malignancy, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is believed to contribute to invasive and metastatic tumor growth. Aquaporin 3 (AQP3) is overexpressed in human GC tissues, while human epidermal growth factor (EGF) and hepatocyte growth factor, which can induce EMT, are able to up-regulate AQP3 expression, subsequently promoting GC cell migration and proliferation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of AQP3 on EMT in human GC.

Methods

AQP3 and EMT-related proteins were detected by immunohistochemistry in human GC specimens and their clinical significance evaluated. AQP3 knockdown was attempted using small interfering RNAs, while EGF was used to up-regulate AQP3 expression. Western blotting, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays and immunofluorescence were used to evaluate changes in expression of AQP3 and EMT-related proteins in the SGC7901 and MGC803 human GC cell lines.

Results

AQP3 up-expression was associated with EMT-related proteins in human GC specimens, which correlated with poor prognosis for GC. AQP3 modulated GC cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro, and induced E-cadherin repression. AQP3 also up-regulated the expression of vimentin and fibronectin in vitro. The PI3K/AKT/SNAIL signaling pathway was likely involved in the induction of EMT by AQP3 in GC.

Conclusions

AQP3 promotes EMT in human cases of GC, allowing us to understand the mechanisms of AQP3 in GC progression, thus providing a potential strategy for its treatment.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Chen et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

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