title: Aquaporins in human breast cancer: identification and involvement in carcinogenesis of breast cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Aquaporins (AQPs) play important roles in water and glycerol transport. Recently, the role of AQPs in human carcinogenesis has become an area of great interest. However, little is known about the function of AQPs in human breast cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression profile of AQPs in human breast cancer and its significance.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, we screened the expression profile of AQP0-12 in breast cancer tissues and corresponding normal tissues by RT-PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  AQP1, 3-5, and 10-12 were expressed in human breast cancer and/or normal breast tissues, and AQP1 and 3-5 exhibited differential expression. AQP1 was expressed in cell membranes and its expression was higher in cancer than that in normal tissues. AQP4 was expressed in the cell membrane and cytoplasm and was detected markedly stronger in normal than in cancer tissues. AQP5 was expressed mainly in cell membranes in carcinoma tissues, but was almost absent in normal breast tissues. Expression of AQP5 was associated with cellular differentiation, lymph node invasion, and clinicopathological staging.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These observations suggested that several subtypes of the AQP family play a role in human breast carcinogenesis.
authors: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
authors: Zhonghua
authors: Z
authors: Shi
authors: Ting
authors: T
authors: Zhang
authors: Liang
authors: L
authors: Luo
authors: Hua
authors: H
authors: Zhao
authors: Jing
authors: J
authors: Cheng
authors: Jingying
authors: J
authors: Xiang
authors: Chun
authors: C
authors: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D020346:Aquaporins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001940:Breast / Q000378:metabolism; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D020346:Aquaporins