Regulation of Epithelial Sodium Transport via Epithelial Na+Channel

[摘要] Renal epithelial Na+transport plays an important role in homeostasis of our body fluid content and blood pressure. Further, the Na+transport in alveolar epithelial cells essentially controls the amount of alveolar fluid that should be kept at an appropriate level for normal gas exchange. The epithelial Na+transport is generally mediated through two steps: (1) the entry step of Na+via epithelial Na+channel (ENaC) at the apical membrane and (2) the extrusion step of Na+via the Na+, K+-ATPase at the basolateral membrane. In general, the Na+entry via ENaC is the rate-limiting step. Therefore, the regulation of ENaC plays an essential role in control of blood pressure and normal gas exchange.In this paper, we discuss two major factors in ENaC regulation: (1) activity of individual ENaC and (2) number of ENaC located at the apical membrane.

[学科分类] 基础医学