An unusual intramembranous structure in the renal tubule of a snake

1978 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 516-518
Author(s):  
William D. Peek

Freeze–fracture revealed unusual structures of unknown origin in plasma membranes of proximal tubular cells in the nephron of the garter snake. These areas are closely associated with gap junctions and are characterized primarily by the relative paucity of intramembranous particles.

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 907-916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anabel Brandoni ◽  
Adriana M. Torres

Background/Aims: Organic anion transporter 1 (Oat1) and 3 (Oat3) are organic anion transporters that play critical roles in the body disposition of numerous clinically important drugs. We investigated the effects of acute uremia on the renal expression of Oat1 and Oat3 in three in vivo experimental models of acute kidney injury (AKI): induced by ischemia, by ureteral obstruction and by the administration of HgCl2. We also evaluated the influence of urea in the expression of these transporters in proximal tubular cells suspensions. Methods: Membranes were isolated from kidneys of each experimental group and from cell suspensions incubated with different urea concentrations. Oat1 and Oat3 expressions were performed by immunoblotting. Results: A good correlation between uremia and the renal protein expression of Oat1 and Oat3 was observed in vivo. Moreover, the incubation of isolated proximal tubular cells with different concentrations of urea decreases protein expression of Oat1 and Oat3 in plasma membranes in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: The more severe the renal failure, the more important is the decrease in protein expression of the transporters in renal membranes where they are functional. The in vitro study demonstrates that urea accounts, at least in part, for the decreased expression of Oat1 and Oat3 in proximal tubule plasma membranes.


1989 ◽  
Vol 257 (5) ◽  
pp. C971-C975 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. A. Skopicki ◽  
K. Fisher ◽  
D. Zikos ◽  
G. Flouret ◽  
D. R. Peterson

These studies were performed to determine if a low-affinity carrier is present in the luminal membrane of proximal tubular cells for the transport of the dipeptide, pyroglutamyl-histidine (pGlu-His). We have previously described the existence of a specific, high-affinity, low-capacity [transport constant (Kt) = 9.3 X 10(-8) M, Vmax = 6.1 X 10(-12) mol.mg-1.min-1] carrier for pGlu-His in renal brush-border membrane vesicles. In the present study, we sought to demonstrate that multiple carriers exist for the transport of a single dipeptide by determining whether a low-affinity carrier also exists for the uptake of pGlu-His. Transport of pGlu-His into brush-border membrane vesicles was saturable over the concentration range of 10(-5)-10(-3) M, yielding a Kt of 6.3 X 10(-5) M and a Vmax of 2.2 X 10(-10) mol.mg-1.min-1. Uptake was inhibited by the dipeptides glycyl-proline, glycyl-sarcosine, and carnosine but not by the tripeptide pyroglutamyl-histidyl-prolinamide. We conclude that 1) pGlu-His is transported across the luminal membrane of the proximal tubule by multiple carriers and 2) the lower affinity carrier, unlike the higher affinity carrier, is nonspecific with respect to other dipeptides.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Coral García-Pastor ◽  
Selma Benito-Martínez ◽  
Ricardo J. Bosch ◽  
Ana B. Fernández-Martínez ◽  
Francisco J. Lucio-Cazaña

AbstractProximal tubular cells (PTC) are particularly vulnerable to hypoxia-induced apoptosis, a relevant factor for kidney disease. We hypothesized here that PTC death under hypoxia is mediated by cyclo-oxygenase (COX-2)-dependent production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), which was confirmed in human proximal tubular HK-2 cells because hypoxia (1% O2)-induced apoptosis (i) was prevented by a COX-2 inhibitor and by antagonists of prostaglandin (EP) receptors and (ii) was associated to an increase in intracellular PGE2 (iPGE2) due to hypoxia-inducible factor-1α-dependent transcriptional up-regulation of COX-2. Apoptosis was also prevented by inhibitors of the prostaglandin uptake transporter PGT, which indicated that iPGE2 contributes to hypoxia-induced apoptosis (on the contrary, hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced PTC death was exclusively due to extracellular PGE2). Thus, iPGE2 is a new actor in the pathogenesis of hypoxia-induced tubular injury and PGT might be a new therapeutic target for the prevention of hypoxia-dependent lesions in renal diseases.


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