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GeneE
25 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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AQP3
aquaporin 3 (Gill blood group)
Chromosome 9 · 9p13.3
NCBI Gene: 360Ensembl: ENSG00000165272.16HGNC: HGNC:636UniProt: A0A2R8Y2R4
228PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Transporter
RESEARCH IMPACT
Trending
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
water channel activitycytoplasmcellular response to hypoxiaodontogenesisneurodegenerative diseaseCOVID-19atopic eczemalung adenocarcinoma
✦AI Summary

AQP3 is an aquaglyceroporin that functions as a transmembrane channel mediating water, glycerol, and H2O2 transport across the plasma membrane 12. Beyond fluid transport, AQP3 plays critical roles in skin hydration and wound healing, with upregulation supporting barrier repair and re-epithelialization 3. AQP3 is also expressed in lens and colonic epithelial cells, where it maintains tissue transparency and participates in water homeostasis 45. In immune responses, AQP3 is essential for leukocyte migration by facilitating osmotic water movement that enables cell shape changes required for tissue infiltration 6. AQP3 promotes inflammatory skin conditions: in rosacea, it activates NF-κB signaling in keratinocytes and STAT3 signaling in CD4+ T cells, driving Th17 differentiation and chemokine production 7. AQP3 significantly contributes to cancer progression through multiple mechanisms. Overexpression correlates with poor prognosis in breast and gastric cancers, where it stimulates cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition 8. In lung adenocarcinoma, AQP3 promotes M2 macrophage polarization via the PPAR-γ/NF-κB axis, modulating IL-6 production and tumor glucose metabolism 9. In hepatocellular carcinoma, AQP3 accumulation induces autophagic cell death through PDPK1-AKT-MTOR pathway inactivation 10. These findings identify AQP3 as a potential therapeutic target for cancer and inflammatory diseases.

Sources cited
1
AQP3 forms aquaglyceroporin channels mediating water and glycerol transport
PMID: 12239222
2
AQP3 aquaglyceroporin function in water and glycerol transport
PMID: 30420639
3
AQP3 upregulation in wound healing supports skin barrier protein expression and re-epithelialization
PMID: 35941707
4
AQP3 is expressed in mammalian lens and transports water, glycerol, and H2O2
PMID: 38354944
5
AQP3 mediates water, glycerol, and H2O2 transport in colonic epithelial cells
PMID: 39857360
6
AQP3 is critical for leukocyte migration by facilitating osmotic water movement for cell shape changes
PMID: 40558507
7
AQP3 activation of NF-κB in keratinocytes and STAT3 in T cells drives rosacea inflammation and Th17 differentiation
PMID: 37928265
8
AQP3 overexpression promotes cancer metastasis, cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT in breast and gastric cancer
PMID: 28991174
9
AQP3 promotes M2 macrophage polarization via PPAR-γ/NF-κB axis regulating IL-6 and tumor glucose metabolism in lung adenocarcinoma
PMID: 39060229
10
AQP3 accumulation induces autophagic cell death in hepatocellular carcinoma through PDPK1-AKT-MTOR pathway inactivation
PMID: 38726865
Disease Associationsⓘ20
neurodegenerative diseaseOpen Targets
0.47Moderate
COVID-19Open Targets
0.30Weak
atopic eczemaOpen Targets
0.29Weak
lung adenocarcinomaOpen Targets
0.12Weak
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
gastric cancerOpen Targets
0.11Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.11Weak
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
non-small cell lung carcinomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
osteosarcomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
squamous cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
nail-patella syndromeOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
rosaceaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
gestational diabetesOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
Helicobacter pylori infectious diseaseOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
cholelithiasisOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
cervical cancerOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
SepsisOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
oral squamous cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
AQP12AProtein interaction87%AQP11Protein interaction87%GK2Protein interaction83%GKProtein interaction83%AQP8Protein interaction75%MIPProtein interaction74%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Liver
100%
Lung
40%
Bone Marrow
16%
Heart
9%
Ovary
5%
Brain
1%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
AQP3AQP12AAQP11GK2GKAQP8MIP
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt Q92482
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.84LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.54 [0.36–0.84]
RankingsWhere AQP3 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #1,766of 20,598
    Most Researched228 · top 10%
  • #7,193of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.84
Genes detectedAQP3
Sources retrieved25 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
25▼
1
PPAR-γ/NF-kB/AQP3 axis in M2 macrophage orchestrates lung adenocarcinoma progression by upregulating IL-6.
PMID: 39060229
Cell Death Dis · 2024
1.00
2
Aquaporin-3 in Cancer.
PMID: 28991174
Int J Mol Sci · 2017
0.90
3
Human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomes encapsulated in pluronic F127 hydrogel promote wound healing and regeneration.
PMID: 35941707
Stem Cell Res Ther · 2022
0.80
4
Aquaglyceroporins in Human Breast Cancer.
PMID: 37681917
Cells · 2023
0.72
5
SCF
PMID: 38726865
Autophagy · 2024
0.70