Figure 1.
Changes in the expression and function of Aquaporin-3 (AQP3) during Caco-2 cell differentiation. Caco-2 cells were plated in Transwell plates and incubated for 3, 7, 14, or 21 days. (A) The integrity of the monolayer was measured by determining the TEER. (B) The protein expression of AQP3 was analyzed by western blotting and normalized to glyceraldehyde-3–phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) expression. The mean levels of AQP3 protein expression on day 3 of incubation are indicated as 100%. (C) Glycerol alone or a combination of glycerol and HgCl2 was added to the apical side of the Transwell plate. The concentration of glycerol on the basal side was measured to calculate the permeated amount of glycerol. The data are presented as the mean ± SD for six experiments. Dunnett’s test: ** p < 0.01 and *** p < 0.001 vs. the day 3 value.