Water influx through aquaporin-1 (AQP-1) has been linked to the ability of different cell types to migrate, and therefore plays an important part in processes like metastasis and angiogenesis.
The percentage of cases with positive AQP1 and AQP3 expression was significantly lower in PDAC patients without lymph node metastasis and invasion, and having low Tumor, Node and Metastasis (TNM) stage disease than in patients with lymph node metastasis, invasion, and high TNM stage disease (P<0.05 or <0.01).
Water channel aquaporin-1 (AQP1) enhances water flux across cell membranes, which is highly expressed and associated with cell migration, metastasis and angiogenesis in some human cancers.
Patients with brain metastases had shorter overall survival (p = 0.02) and significantly higher AQP1 expression in the primary tumors (median H-score = 250 vs. 140, p = 0.044) as compared to patients of the EC metastasis group.
AQP1 knockout mouse models of human cancers showed marked inhibition of tumor-induced angiogenesis, and in pre-clinical studies of colon adenocarcinomas, forced over-expression of AQP1 was shown to increase angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis.
Recent reports demonstrated that AQPs, particularly AQP1 and AQP5, are expressed in high grade tumor cells of a variety of tissue origins, and that AQPs are involved in cell migration and metastasis.