Fig. 6: Impact of AQP7 deficiency on adipocyte secretory profile and pathways involved in adipocyte maturation and function.

A Ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) (Fisher’s exact test p < 0.05) reveals that Aqp7^−/− adipocytes enriched and activated pathways are related to mitochondrial dysfunction, hypoxia, and inflammatory responses, while pathways associated with metabolism and insulin signaling are significantly deactivated. The z-score predicts activation of pathways based on relationships and the direction of change of proteins in the dataset. Red: predicted activation, blue: predicted deactivation. B Twelve days post-adipogenesis induction, Aqp7^−/− adipocytes show alterations in the secretion of proteins, leading to enrichment of pathways as revealed by Reactome pathway analysis (Fisher’s exact test, p < 0.05). (green: pathways enriched by upregulated proteins, red: pathways enriched by downregulated proteins). C The changes in the secretome propose a shift toward fibrosis, inflammation, and altered lipid metabolism in Aqp7^−/− adipocytes, contrasting with the healthy tissue remodeling and immune regulation seen in Aqp7^+/+ adipocytes. D To confirm these findings, supernatants from day 12 adipocytes of Aqp7 mice were added to wild-type fibroblasts. Fibroblasts exposed to supernatants from Aqp7^−/− adipocytes show a significant upregulation of TGF-β expression at both E mRNA and F protein levels. Significant differences between groups were assessed by t-test: *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001.