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Review
. 2014 Apr;63(4):632-7.
doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.113.01273. Epub 2013 Dec 30.

Aldosterone and vascular mineralocorticoid receptors: regulators of ion channels beyond the kidney

Jennifer J DuPont  1 , Michael A Hill, Shawn B Bender, Frederic Jaisser, Iris Z Jaffe
Affiliations
Review

Aldosterone and vascular mineralocorticoid receptors: regulators of ion channels beyond the kidney

Jennifer J DuPont et al. Hypertension. 2014 Apr.
No abstract available

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interests/Disclosures

The authors have no disclosures.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Mineralocorticoid Receptor-Regulated Ion Channels in Vascular Cells
Ion channels recently found to be regulated by aldosterone or mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) in vascular endothelial cells (EC) or smooth muscle cells (SMC) are depicted along with their function in the vasculature. Epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) expression is increased by MR activation in endothelial cells and allows Na+ entry into the cell which contributes to endothelial cell cortex stiffness. SMC-MR contributes to L-type calcium channel (LTCC) expression and function in vascular SMC with aging. LTCC promote Ca2+ entry into the cell in response to membrane depolarization and cause SMC contraction via phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain through calcium-calmodulin activation of myosin light chain kinase. MR activation decreases expression of large-conductance calcium activated potassium channels (BKCa) in coronary SMC. BKCa typically limits SMC contraction in response to increased intracellular Ca2+ by allowing K+ to exit the SMC contributing to SMC hyperpolarization and decreasing LTCC activity. Thus by upregulating LTCC and downregulating BKCa, MR would be expected to enhance vascular contraction. Intermediate (IKCa) and small (SKCa) conductance calcium activated potassium channels are expressed on EC and are activated in response to increases in intracellular Ca2+ and allow K+ to exit the EC and cause hyperpolarization of SMCs, resulting in vasorelaxation. Endothelial MR increases SKCa activity to promote endothelial cell permeability and vasorelaxation.
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