Brain Cancer Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Brain Cancer, including details on symptoms, benign and malignant tumors, gliomas, treatment.

Aquaporin 1 expression in cystic hemangioblastomas.

Longatti P, Basaldella L, Orvieto E, Tos AP, Martinuzzi A

Department of Neurosurgery, Treviso Regional Hospital, University of Padova, Italy.

Hemangioblastomas of the central nervous system (CNS) become clinically manifest through the development of huge associated cysts. The mechanism underlying these fluid collections is as yet largely unexplained. Aquaporins (AQPs) are cell proteins responsible for transmembrane water transport that have been extensively studied in the last 10 years. We analyzed AQP1 water channel expression by an immunostaining technique in ten specimens of operated cerebellar cystic hemangioblastomas, for which complete clinical and follow-up records were available. Tumour and associated cyst volumes were determined by neuroimaging and then compared with immunohistochemical scores. Stromal cancer cells showed surprisingly high AQP1 expression, and huge cyst volume development showed correlation with higher immunostaining scores. Heavy AQP1 expression in cystic hemangioblastomas could shed new light on the mechanisms of satellite cyst development.

Published 6 December 2005 in Neurosci Lett, 392(3): 178-80.
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