Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2008 May;51(5):1265-71.
doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.107.093401. Epub 2008 Mar 31.

Sensing tension: epithelial sodium channel/acid-sensing ion channel proteins in cardiovascular homeostasis

Heather A Drummond  1 , Nikki L Jernigan, Samira C Grifoni
Affiliations
Review

Sensing tension: epithelial sodium channel/acid-sensing ion channel proteins in cardiovascular homeostasis

Heather A Drummond et al. Hypertension. 2008 May.
No abstract available

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
VSMC ENaC. A. Localization of βENaC (left panel) and smooth muscle α-actin (middle panel) in a single VSMC dissociated from mouse renal arteries. Yellow coloring in the merged image (right panel) suggests co-localization of βENaC and the cytoskeleton. B. Suppression of βENaC/γENaC expression in isolated mouse renal interlobar artery segments inhibits vasoconstriction (% myogenic tone) to increases in intraluminal pressure.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Proposed model of a mammalian mechanosensor. This model is based on the mechanotransducer model established in the nematode. The mechanosensing apparatus may be a large heteromultimeric complex. ENaC/ASIC proteins form the ion-transducing core of the mechanotransducer, which are anchored to the extracellular matrix and cytoskeleton by associated linking proteins. The application of a mechanical stimulus, such as strain allows influx of Na+/Ca2+.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Possible mechanism of aldosterone action on non-epithelial targets. Aldosterone inhibition of ENaC in neurons and VSMCs may suppress baroreflex sensitivity and myogenic constriction. These actions increase blood pressure lability and pressure transmission to delicate microvessels in brain and kidney and, thus, increase susceptibility to end-organ injury. Protection against injury may contribute to the beneficial effect of aldosterone antagonism in clinical trials (RALES, EPHESUS).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kellenberger S, Schild L. Epithelial sodium channel/degenerin family of ion channels: a variety of functions for a shared structure. Physiol Rev. 2002;82:735–767. - PubMed
    1. Syntichaki P, Tavernarakis N. Genetic models of mechanotransduction: the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Physiol Rev. 2004;84:1097–1153. - PubMed
    1. Ji HL, Su XF, Kedar S, Li J, Barbry P, Smith PR, Matalon S, Benos DJ. Delta-subunit confers novel biophysical features to alpha beta gamma-human epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) via a physical interaction. J Biol Chem. 2006;281:8233–8241. - PubMed
    1. Waldmann R, Champigny G, Bassilana F, Voilley N, Lazdunski M. Molecular cloning and functional expression of a novel amiloride- sensitive Na+ channel. J Biol Chem. 1995;270:27411–27414. - PubMed
    1. Brockway LM, Zhou ZH, Bubien JK, Jovov B, Benos DJ, Keyser KT. Rabbit retinal neurons and glia express a variety of ENaC/DEG subunits. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2002;283:C126–C134. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms