Aquaporins are membrane channels in the broad family of major intrinsic proteins (MIPs), with 13 classes showing tissue-specific distributions in humans. As key physiological modulators of water and solute homeostasis, mutations, and dysfunctions involving aquaporins have been associated with pathologies in all major organs. Increases in aquaporin expression are associated with greater severity of many cancers, particularly in augmenting motility and invasiveness for example in colon cancers and glioblastoma. However, potential roles of altered aquaporin (AQP) function in reproductive cancers have been understudied to date. Published work reviewed here shows distinct classes aquaporin have differential roles in mediating cancer metastasis, angiogenesis, and resistance to apoptosis. Known mechanisms of action of AQPs in other tissues are proving relevant to understanding reproductive cancers. Emerging patterns show AQPs 1, 3, and 5 in particular are highly expressed in breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers, consistent with their gene regulation by estrogen response elements, and AQPs 3 and 9 in particular are linked with prostate cancer. Continuing work is defining avenues for pharmacological targeting of aquaporins as potential therapies to reduce female and male reproductive cancer cell growth and invasiveness.

中文翻译：

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在男性和女性乳腺癌和生殖癌的新疗法中靶向水通道蛋白

水通道蛋白是主要内在蛋白 (MIP) 广泛家族中的膜通道，有 13 类显示人体组织特异性分布。作为水和溶质稳态的关键生理调节剂，涉及水通道蛋白的突变和功能障碍与所有主要器官的病理状况有关。水通道蛋白表达的增加与许多癌症的严重程度有关，特别是在增强运动性和侵袭性方面，例如在结肠癌和胶质母细胞瘤中。然而，迄今为止，水通道蛋白 (AQP) 功能改变在生殖癌症中的潜在作用尚未得到充分研究。此处审查的已发表工作表明，不同类别的水通道蛋白在介导癌症转移、血管生成和抗凋亡方面具有不同的作用。AQPs 在其他组织中的已知作用机制被证明与理解生殖癌症有关。新出现的模式表明，AQP 1、3 和 5 特别是在乳腺癌、子宫内膜癌和卵巢癌中高度表达，这与它们受雌激素反应元件的基因调控一致，而 AQP 3 和 9 尤其与前列腺癌有关。持续的工作正在定义水通道蛋白的药理学靶向途径，作为减少女性和男性生殖癌细胞生长和侵袭性的潜在疗法。