AUTHOR=Zou Shuang , Lan Yu-Long , Ren Tong , Li Xiangyu , Zhang Lijun , Wang Hongjin , Wang Xun 

TITLE=A Bioinformatics Analysis of the Potential Roles of Aquaporin 4 in Human Brain Tumors: An Immune-Related Process

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.692175

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2021.692175

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=Aquaporin 4 (AQP4) is the major water channel expressed in the central nervous system and is primarily expressed in astrocytes. Recently, AQP4 has attracted significant attention because of its implicated roles in tumorigenesis and tumor development. However, more research should be conducted to elucidate the potential roles of AQP4 in CNS cancers for identifying the tumor type, progression stages and optimal treatment strategies. In current research, we systematically explored the potential oncogenic roles of AQP4 across thirty-three tumors based on the datasets of TCGA and GEO for the first time. AQP4 is highly expressed in CNS cancers, and distinct associations exist between AQP4 expression and prognosis of tumor patients. AQP4 expression could be associated with the CD8+ T-cell infiltration level in several cancers, and cancer-associated fibroblast infiltration was observed in various types of tumors. Moreover, synaptic vesicle cycle and phosphatidylinositol signaling system-associated functions were also found to be involved in the functional mechanisms of AQP4. Furthermore, potential AQP4 inhibitors have also been explored by using Specs data base and virtual screening technique. Our first analysis offers a relatively comprehensive understanding of the important roles of AQP4 in CNS tumors.