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…
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 (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…
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…
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…
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…
Ion motive ATPases involved in transcellular ion transport by renal epithelial cells include two molecular families: P-ATPases (Na,K-ATPase and H,K-ATPase) and V-ATPases. Na,K-ATPase is found in the plasma membrane of…
In this chapter we discuss the pathways and mechanisms of water transport across cell membranes and epithelia. The concepts of diffusion and osmosis are presented at the biophysical level and…
Cells must avoid gross alterations of volume in order to survive. Obviously, excessive cell swelling will jeopardize the integrity of the cell membrane, and both cell swelling and cell shrinkage…
