Aquaporin-3 is down-regulated by LMP1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells to regulate cell migration and affect EBV latent infection.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection has a strong correlation with the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Aquaporin 3 (AQP3), a member of the aquaporin family, plays an important role in tumor development, especially in epithelial-mesenchymal transition. In this study, the expression of AQP3 in EBV-positive NPC cells was significantly lower than that in EBV-negative NPC cells. Western blot and qRT-PCR analysis showed that LMP1 down-regulated the expression of AQP3 by activating the ERK pathway. Cell biology experiments have confirmed that AQP3 affects the development of tumor by promoting cell migration and proliferation in NPC cells. In addition, AQP3 can promote the lysis of EBV in EBV-positive NPC cells. The inhibition of AQP3 expression by EBV through LMP1 may be one of the mechanisms by which EBV maintains latent infection-induced tumor progression.