title: Regulation of Aquaporin 3 Expression by the AhR Pathway Is Critical to Cell Migration.
abstract: The regulation of cell migration is a key factor for the dissemination of metastatic cells during tumor progression. Aquaporins are membrane channels which allow transmembrane fluxes of water and glycerol in cells in a variety of mammalian tissues. Here, we show that AQP3, which has been incriminated in cancer progression, is regulated by the AhR, or dioxin receptor. AhR is a transcription factor which is triggered in response to environmental pollutants and it has been shown to regulate several cellular processes including cell migration and plasticity. In vivo, upon exposure to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligand, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), the expression of AQP3 is increased significantly in several murine tissues including the liver. In vitro, treatment of human HepG2 cells with TCDD also increased the expression of AQP3 mRNA and protein. These effects resulted from the activation of AhR as shown by RNA interference, chromatin immunoprecipitation and the use of several AhR ligands. Immunofluorescence and real-time analysis of cell migration (XCelligence) demonstrated that knockdown of AQP3 mRNA using small interfering RNA impairs the remodeling of cell shape and the triggering of cell migration that is induced by TCDD. Our work reveals, for the first time, a link between exposure to pollutant and the induction of an aquaporin which has been suspected to play a role during metastasis.
authors.affiliation: *INSERM UMR-S 1124, Toxicologie Pharmacologie et Signalisation cellulaire, 75006 Paris, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75006 Paris, France; Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 8251, Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, 75213 Paris, France; and.
authors.forename: Linh-Chi
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Bui
authors.affiliation: Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75006 Paris, France; *INSERM UMR-S 1124, Toxicologie Pharmacologie et Signalisation cellulaire, 75006 Paris, France;
authors.forename: Céline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tomkiewicz
authors.affiliation: *INSERM UMR-S 1124, Toxicologie Pharmacologie et Signalisation cellulaire, 75006 Paris, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75006 Paris, France;
authors.forename: Stephane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pierre
authors.affiliation: *INSERM UMR-S 1124, Toxicologie Pharmacologie et Signalisation cellulaire, 75006 Paris, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75006 Paris, France;
authors.forename: Aline
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chevallier
authors.affiliation: *INSERM UMR-S 1124, Toxicologie Pharmacologie et Signalisation cellulaire, 75006 Paris, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75006 Paris, France; AP-HP, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Service de biochimie métabolique, 75743 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Barouki
authors.affiliation: *INSERM UMR-S 1124, Toxicologie Pharmacologie et Signalisation cellulaire, 75006 Paris, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75006 Paris, France; xavier.coumoul@parisdescartes.fr.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Coumoul
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051400:Aquaporin 3 / Q000235:genetics*; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins / Q000633:toxicity; D018336:Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins; D018336:Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon; D051400:Aquaporin 3
keywords: AQP3; PAHs; aquaporin; aryl hydrocarbon receptor; cell migration; dioxin; transcription