American journal of physiology. Renal physiology
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Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. · May 2003
Renal expression of sodium transporters and aquaporin-2 in hypothyroid rats.
Hypothyroidism is associated with significant abnormalities in the renal handling of salt and water. To address the involvement of tubular transport proteins in these abnormalities, rats were rendered pharmacologically hypothyroid and the abundance of major tubular transport proteins was assessed by immunoblot and immunohistochemistry. Hypothyroidism resulted in a marked reduction in kidney size and creatinine clearance along with decreased or unchanged total kidney abundance of the transport proteins. ⋯ The increased abundance of NKCC2 and AQP2 may have been caused by an increased action of vasopressin since urinary excretion of this hormone was elevated. On the other hand, the thiazide-sensitive Na-Cl cotransporter; the alpha-, beta-, and gamma-subunits of the amiloride-sensitive epithelial Na channel; and the alpha(1)-subunit of Na-K-ATPase showed a moderate decrease in total kidney abundance that was largely proportional to the smaller kidney mass. Although the observed expression of transporters was associated with a balanced renal sodium handling, altered transporter abundance may become functionally relevant if the hypothyroid kidney is challenged by an additional destabilization of the milieu interieur that has previously been shown to result in an inadequate natriuresis and clinical symptoms.
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Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. · May 2003
Downregulation of renal aquaporins in response to unilateral ureteral obstruction.
The expression of aquaporin-2 (AQP2) is decreased in rats with bilateral ureteral obstruction (BUO) and unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). Therefore, the expression of additional renal aquaporins (AQP1-4) and phosphorylated AQP2 (p-AQP2), known to play a role in urinary concentration, was examined in a Wistar rat model with 24 h of UUO. In obstructed kidneys, immunoblotting revealed a significant decrease in the expression of inner medullary AQP2 to 42 +/- 4, p-AQP2 to 23 +/- 5, AQP3 to 19 +/- 6, AQP4 to 11 +/- 5, and AQP1 to 64 +/- 8% of sham levels. ⋯ To examine whether vasopressin-independent mechanisms are involved in AQP2 regulation, vasopressin-deficient Brattleboro (BB) rats with 24 h of UUO were examined. Immunoblotting revealed downregulation of AQP2, p-AQP2, AQP3, and AQP1 in obstructed kidneys and downregulation of p-AQP2 and AQP1 in nonobstructed kidneys. In conclusion, 1) UUO is associated with severe downregulation of AQP2, AQP3, AQP4, and AQP1; thus all of these AQPs may play important roles in the impaired urinary concentrating capacity in the obstructed kidney; 2) the reduced levels of AQP1 in the nonobstructed kidney may contribute to the compensatory increase in urine production; and 3) downregulation of AQPs in BB rats supports the view that vasopressin-independent pathways may be involved in AQP2 and AQP3 regulation in the obstructed kidney.
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Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. · May 2003
Expression of SSAT, a novel biomarker of tubular cell damage, increases in kidney ischemia-reperfusion injury.
Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is the major cause of acute renal failure in native and allograft kidneys. Identifying the molecules and pathways involved in the pathophysiology of renal IRI will yield valuable new diagnostic and therapeutic information. To identify differentially regulated genes in renal IRI, RNA from rat kidneys subjected to an established renal IRI protocol (bilateral occlusion of renal pedicles for 30 min followed by reperfusion) and time-matched kidneys from sham-operated animals was subjected to suppression subtractive hybridization. ⋯ To distinguish SSAT increases from the effects of tubular injury vs. uremic toxins, SSAT was increased in cis-platinum-treated animals before the onset of renal failure. The expression of SSAT mRNA and protein increased by approximately 3.5- and >10-fold, respectively, in renal tubule epithelial cells subjected to ATP depletion and metabolic poisoning (an in vitro model of kidney IRI). Our results suggest that SSAT is likely a new marker of tubular cell injury that distinguishes acute prerenal from intrarenal failure.
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Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. · Apr 2003
Axial heterogeneity in basolateral AQP2 localization in rat kidney: effect of vasopressin.
The purpose of the present study was to examine whether there is axial heterogeneity in the basolateral plasma membrane (BLM) localization of AQP2 and whether altered vasopressin action or medullary tonicity affects the BLM localization of AQP2. Immunocytochemistry and immunoelectron microscopy revealed AQP2 labeling of the BLM in connecting tubule (CNT) cells and inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) principal cells in normal rats and vasopressin-deficient Brattleboro rats. In contrast there was little basolateral AQP2 labeling in cortical (CCD) and outer medullary collecting duct principal cells. ⋯ There was no increase in AQP2 labeling of the BLM in response to short-term dDAVP. Moreover, acute V(2)-receptor antagonist treatment did not cause retrieval of AQP2 from the BLM. In contrast, long-term dDAVP treatment caused a major increase in AQP2 expression in the BLM in CCD.
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Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. · Mar 2003
Interaction among nitric oxide, reactive oxygen species, and antioxidants during endotoxemia-related acute renal failure.
Acute renal failure (ARF) during sepsis is associated with increased nitric oxide (NO) and oxygen radicals, including superoxide (O(2)(-)). Because O(2)(-) reacts with NO in a rapid manner, it plays an important role in modulating NO levels. Therefore, scavenging of O(2)(-) by superoxide dismutase (SOD) may be critical for preserving NO bioavailability. ⋯ In summary, renal EC-SOD expression is decreased during endotoxemia. Antioxidant therapy preserved GFR and RBF during endotoxemia. The reversal of this protective effect by inhibition of iNOS suggests the importance of the bioavailability of NO for preservation of renal function during early endotoxemia.