title: Aquaporin-9 is expressed in a mucus-secreting goblet cell subset in the small intestine.
abstract: We analyzed the expression of aquaporins (AQPs) in the small intestine to elucidate their functions, and found that AQP9, which had not previously been detected there, is present in duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. AQP9 is expressed in colon as well, but not in stomach. Also, its expression in these intestinal sections is limited to the basolateral membranes of a goblet cell subset. Our finding that AQP9 is present specifically in goblet cells as mucus-secreting cells suggests its involvement in the synthesis and/or secretion of a certain kind of mucus which may protect the intestinal surface and smooth the flow of intestinal contents.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biological Function, Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Takumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Misaka
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Hirohito
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020346:Aquaporins / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: C491638:Aqp9 protein, mouse; D020346:Aquaporins; D017931:DNA Primers