(Press-News.org) HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A new study led by Marshall University researchers focuses on a novel mechanism of the body’s regulation of salt balance.
The kidney plays a central role in the body’s ability to maintain an appropriate sodium balance, which is critical for the determination of blood pressure. Disorders of sodium balance contribute to the development and progression of many common diseases, including hypertension, heart disease and stroke.
Na/K-ATPase (NKA) is the enzymatic machinery that drives absorption of sodium along the renal proximal tubule. As such, it makes quite an unlikely candidate as a molecular counteractor of sodium absorption. In contrast, the Xie model for NKA receptor/signaling, named for the late Zijian Xie, Ph.D., predicts that NKA has evolved as the perfect molecular entity to sense intracellular sodium and coordinate the cellular response to temper absorption and maintain a steady delivery to the distal tubule.
Using gene targeting in cells and mice to test the respective contributions of NKA signaling and ion pumping to the overall regulation of renal sodium reabsorption, the study revealed that NKA signaling is functionally dominant over NKA ion pumping in the control of renal sodium reabsorption, according to new research published earlier this month in the FASEB journal, which ranks among the top biology journals in the world.
“This paper represents a major advance and a paradigm shift in renal physiology/mammalian salt handling,” said Sandrine Pierre, Ph.D., interim director of the Marshall Institute for Interdisciplinary Research and the corresponding author on the study. “To date, it is the most tangible proof of the validity and physiological significance of the Xie model for sodium pump signaling.”
Expertise in renal physiology and genetic approaches in experimental models to evaluate the non-classical Na/K-ATPase receptor function was provided by a cross-departmental team of investigators from the Marshall Institute for Interdisciplinary Research (MIIR) and the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. Xie, a pioneer of NKA non-ion pumping function, was a driving force behind this project from its inception.
“Developing the first genetic mouse model targeting NKA in renal proximal tubule cells has allowed us to unmask the dual antagonistic roles of NKA in renal Na+ and water reabsorption,” said Shreya Mukherji, Ph.D., a scientist in the rare disease DDU at Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. and first author on the study, who conducted major portions of this research as a biomedical graduate student at Marshall University. “However, this is just a stepping stone. Using similar approaches, our group and others will likely dissect new regulatory networks and identify new targets in the management of hypertensive disorders and other highly prevalent chronic conditions.”
This research was funded by the American Heart Association (19PRE34450095) and the National Institutes of Health (DK129937). To view the article ““Na/K-ATPase signaling tonically inhibits sodium reabsorption in the renal proximal tubule” by Mukherji et al. in its entirety, please visit https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.202200785RR.
END
Study reveals new insights into body salt handling
2023-03-31
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
A tighter core stabilizes SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in new emergent variants
2023-03-31
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Just as a tight core is a component of good physical fitness for humans, helping to stabilize our bodies, mutations that tightened the core of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in new variants may have increased the virus’s fitness.
New research led by Penn State reveals that the stem region of the spike protein became progressively tighter over time, and the team thinks this likely improved the virus’s ability to transmit through nasal droplets and infect host cells once in the body. The team said the stem region of the protein that emerged in the most recent Omicron variants is as rigid as it can get, which could ...
Status epilepticus: New inflammatory markers to improve patient care
2023-03-31
A rare and nevertheless formidable event in the landscape of epilepsies, New-Onset Refractory Status Epilepticus (NORSE) is a form of prolonged seizure in which the neurons of the epileptic focus endure a continuous discharge of neurotransmitters. It is a medical emergency requiring intensive care management. Indeed, it can cause significant long-term neurological sequelae and is associated with an average mortality rate of 12% in children and 16 to 27% in adults. NORSE can occur in response to an infection or tumor development. However, its origin remains unknown in half of the affected patients despite extensive clinical and biological ...
Making rare cell types visible: Researchers are developing a new method
2023-03-31
The human body contains more than 30 trillion cells. Until recently, the sheer number of cells in the organism meant that approaches to understanding human diseases and developmental processes based on the analysis of single cells were a futuristic vision. The development of new sequencing methods is currently revolutionising our understanding of cellular heterogeneity. These technologies can detect rare or even new cell types by extracting and sequencing the genetic information from the cells based on ribonucleic acid chains.
In cooperation ...
More than 1,200 LOINC® registrants represent 78 countries for version 2.74 webinar
2023-03-31
INDIANAPOLIS -- LOINC®, an international data standard maintained at Regenstrief Institute, hosted an educational release webinar for version 2.74. More than 1,200 participants signed up, representing 78 countries.
The hour and a half webinar served as an opportunity for the LOINC team to introduce and explain the new concepts from the 2.74 release update. Participants were presented with opportunities to learn more about each new concept and ask questions.
LOINC, short for Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes, is a global standard for health terminology. Created and maintained at Regenstrief, LOINC enables the identification, exchange and collection of data across ...
NRG Oncology combined trial long-term results indicate that pathologic complete response is prognostic of outcomes for soft tissue sarcoma patients
2023-03-31
Combined long-term survival results from nonrandomized phase II trial NRG Oncology RTOG 0630 and the ancillary analysis of the combined NRG-RTOG 0630/9514 trials indicate that pathologic complete response (pCR) is associated with improved survival outcomes for patients with localized soft tissue sarcoma (STS) who receive preoperative chemoradiotherapy or radiotherapy. This data suggests that pCR can be used as a prognostic factor for clinical outcomes in future STS research. These results were recently published in the JAMA Oncology.
NRG-RTOG 0630 and 9514 both evaluated STS patients who were receiving either preoperative image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT; 0630) or neoadjuvant ...
Pensoft joins Advisory Panel to further develop the Journal Comparison Service by cOAlition S
2023-03-31
Back in December, we announced that Pensoft joined 27 other publishers in sharing prices and services via the Journal Comparison Service developed by cOAlition S, in order to boost transparency in scholarly publishing.
Now, we are up to another challenge: we have joined the Advisory Panel appointed by cOAlition S to help further the improvement and development of this important service. The Advisory Panel consists of twelve members (six publishers and six end-users) representing different stakeholders in the scholarly communication ecosystem.
Journal Comparison Service (JSC) is an initiative by cOAlition S aimed to improve ...
Scallop eyes as inspiration for new microscope objectives
2023-03-31
Some species of mussels can see. Scallops, for example, have up to 200 eyes that help them detect predators such as an approaching starfish. However, the eyes of scallops differ significantly from the human eye. While in our eyes the combination of cornea and lens creates an image on the retina, in scallop eyes light is focused by a hemispherical mirror.
Optical imaging with lenses or mirrors
Creating images with mirrors instead of lenses is especially common in astronomical telescopes, in order to capture as much light as possible from planets, stars and galaxies. In the Schmidt telescope developed in the 1930s by Bernhard Schmidt (1879-1935) and still in use in many observatories today, ...
Path to net-zero carbon capture and storage may lead to ocean
2023-03-31
Lehigh Engineering researcher Arup SenGupta has developed a novel way to capture carbon dioxide from the air and store it in the “infinite sink” of the ocean.
The approach uses an innovative copper-containing polymeric filter and essentially converts CO2 into sodium bicarbonate (aka baking soda) that can be released harmlessly into the ocean. This new hybrid material, or filter, is called DeCarbonHIX (i.e., decarbonization through hybrid ion exchange material), and is described in a paper recently published in the journal Science Advances.
The research, which demonstrated a 300 percent increase in the amount of carbon captured ...
Association between daily alcohol intake and risk of all-cause mortality
2023-03-31
About The Study: In this updated systematic review and meta-analysis of 107 studies involving more than 4.8 million participants, daily low or moderate alcohol intake was not significantly associated with all-cause mortality risk, while increased risk was evident at higher consumption levels, starting at lower levels for women than men.
Authors: Jinhui Zhao, Ph.D., of the University of Victoria in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, is the corresponding author.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/
(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.6185)
Editor’s ...
Racial, ethnic differences in insurance after job loss during COVID-19
2023-03-31
About The Study: While the decline in employer-sponsored insurance in 2020 was offset by an increase in Medicaid coverage among newly unemployed white working-age adults, there was no such rise among newly unemployed Black and Hispanic workers.
Authors: Peter J. Huckfeldt, Ph.D., of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in Minneapolis, is the corresponding author.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/
(doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2023.0168)
Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including ...