Aure Marit H, Ruus Ann-Kristin, Galtung Hilde K
Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway,
J Mol Histol. 2014 Feb;45(1):69-80. doi: 10.1007/s10735-013-9526-3. Epub 2013 Jul 24.
Aquaporins (AQPs) is a family of membrane bound water channels found in most tissues. In addition to contribute to transepithelial water movement, AQPs are shown to be involved in a variety of processes such as proliferation, cell migration, and apoptosis. In salivary glands, it is well known that AQP5 plays an important role in fluid secretion. In recent years, several AQPs that demonstrate specific expression trends during development have been found in the mouse submandibular gland (SMG). In this study, we wanted to further investigate the presence and localization of the AQP family in the adult mouse SMG in addition to the less studied sublingual gland. Real time PCR and Western blot demonstrated the presence of AQP3, 4, 8, 9, and 11 transcripts and proteins. AQP1 and AQP7 were shown to be localized in endothelial cells, while AQP4 was found in the satellite cells of the parasympathetic ganglia in both glands. The result from this study shows that AQPs are found in defined subpopulations of cells in salivary glands, providing novel insights to their specific roles in salivary glands.
水通道蛋白（AQPs）是一类在大多数组织中发现的膜结合水通道家族。除了促进跨上皮水转运外，AQPs还参与多种过程，如增殖、细胞迁移和凋亡。在唾液腺中，众所周知，AQP5在液体分泌中起重要作用。近年来，在小鼠下颌下腺（SMG）中发现了几种在发育过程中表现出特定表达趋势的AQPs。在本研究中，除了研究较少的舌下腺外，我们还想进一步研究成年小鼠SMG中AQP家族的存在和定位。实时PCR和蛋白质印迹法证实了AQP3、4、8、9和11转录本及蛋白质的存在。AQP1和AQP7定位于内皮细胞，而AQP4在两个腺体的副交感神经节卫星细胞中均有发现。本研究结果表明，AQPs存在于唾液腺特定的细胞亚群中，为其在唾液腺中的特定作用提供了新的见解。
