Aquaporin-1, aquaporin-3 and aquaporin-5 differentially modulate cell biophysical and biomechanical properties, impacting cell stiffness and cell-cell adhesion.

ABSTRACT: Aquaporins (AQPs) are transmembrane proteins that facilitate the movement of water, glycerol, and other small solutes across cell membranes. AQP1, AQP3, and AQP5 are overexpressed in cancer, contributing to cancer cell proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Previously, we showed that silencing AQP3 and/or AQP5 in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells induced morphological changes and decreased cell-cell adhesion, with AQP5 modulating cell stiffness and membrane fluidity, suggesting that AQPs can impact tumor progression via modulation of cell biophysical and biomechanical properties. In this study, we overexpressed AQP1, AQP3, or AQP5 individually in human kidney (HEK-293 T) cells to investigate their individual effects on biological processes, cell morphology, and

SUBMITTER: Pimpao C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12871911 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature