Paracrine Regulation of Renal Function by Dopamine
Classical transmitter ligands evolved about 1000 million years ago. 1 The role of dopamine as a neurotransmitter has evolved with time. In primordial and plant cells, dopamine is present, even…
Mechanisms of Ion Transport across Cell Membranes
Ion transport across the cell membrane is essential to maintain the composition of the intracellular milieu . This chapter provides an introduction to ion transport processes in the cell membrane….
Epithelial Cell Structure and Polarity
Few cell types more elegantly embody the dictum that “form follows function” than do those of polarized epithelia. It is the unique architecture of renal epithelial cells that permits them…
Renal Cilia Structure, Function, and Physiology
The primary or immotile cilium is a nearly ubiquitous microtubule-based structure. It was once considered a vestigial remnant; however, recent advances have revealed that the cilium functions as a critical…
Intercellular Junctions
Intercellular junctions are relatively static regions of cell–cell contact found between epithelial, endothelial and mesothelial cells that have various functions. The morphology of the junctional complex in epithelia was defined…
Scaffolding Proteins in Transport Regulation
In recent years, there has been an explosion of discovery about proteins that function to organize components of the signal transduction machinery with their effectors at specific subcellular locales. Many…
The Renin–Angiotensin System
The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is a master regulator of blood pressure and fluid homeostasis. This system is a multi-enzymatic cascade in which angiotensinogen, the major substrate, is processed in a…
External Balance of Electrolytes and Acids and Alkali
This chapter will cover discussions on principles of external balance for electrolytes, and for acids and bases. The first section will deal with discussions on principles of electrolyte balance in…
Solute Transport, Energy Consumption, and Production in the Kidney
The kidney uses a large amount of energy, most of which are dedicated to solute reabsorption, especially Na + , from glomerular filtrate. Reabsorption of Na + drives the cellular…
Electrophysiological Analysis of Transepithelial Transport
In this chapter we discuss electrophysiological approaches to the study of renal function. The purpose is to provide an overview of the available techniques, with particular emphasis on what can…
