• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.91-95
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• 2012

The role of the kidney in combating metabolic acidosis has been a subject of considerable interest for many years. The present study was aimed to determine whether there is an altered regulation of renal acid base transporters in acute and chronic acid loading. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Metabolic acidosis was induced by administration of $NH_4Cl$ for 2 days (acute) and for 7days (chronic). The serum and urinary pH and bicarbonate were measured. The protein expression of renal acid base transporters [type 3 $Na^+/H^+$ exchanger (NHE3), type 1 $Na^+/{HCO_3}^-$ cotransporter (NBC1), Na-$K^+$ ATPase, $H^+$-ATPase, anion exchanger-1 (AE-1)] was measured by semiquantitative immunoblotting. Serum bicarbonate and pH were decreased in acute acid loading rats compared with controls. Accordingly, urinary pH decreased. The protein expression of NHE3, $H^+$-ATPase, AE-1 and NBC1 was not changed. In chronic acid loading rats, serum bicarbonate and pH were not changed, while urinary pH was decreased compared with controls. The protein expression of NHE3, $H^+$-ATPase was increased in the renal cortex of chronic acid loading rats. These results suggest that unaltered expression of acid transporters combined with acute acid loading may contribute to the development of acidosis. The subsequent increased expression of NHE3, $H^+$-ATPase in the kidney may play a role in promoting acid excretion in the later stage of acid loading, which counteract the development of metabolic acidosis.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.441-451
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• 2017

Imperatorin, a major bioactive furanocoumarin with multifunctions, can be used for treating neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we investigated the characteristics of imperatorin transport in the brain. Experiments of the present study were designed to study imperatorin transport across the blood-brain barrier both in vivo and in vitro. In vivo study was performed in rats using single intravenous injection and in situ carotid artery perfusion technique. Conditionally immortalized rat brain capillary endothelial cells were as an in vitro model of blood-brain barrier to examine the transport mechanism of imperatorin. Brain distribution volume of imperatorin was about 6 fold greater than that of sucrose, suggesting that the transport of imperatorin was through the blood-brain barrier in physiological state. Both in vivo and in vitro imperatorin transport studies demonstrated that imperatorin could be transported in a concentration-dependent manner with high affinity. Imperatorin uptake was dependent on proton gradient in an opposite direction. It was significantly reduced by pretreatment with sodium azide. However, its uptake was not inhibited by replacing extracellular sodium with potassium or N-methylglucamine. The uptake of imperatorin was inhibited by various cationic compounds, but not inhibited by TEA, choline and organic anion substances. Transfection of plasma membrane monoamine transporter, organic cation transporter 2 and organic cation/carnitine transporter 2/1 siRNA failed to alter imperatorin transport in brain capillary endothelial cells. Especially, tramadol, clonidine and pyrilamine inhibited the uptake of [$^3H$]imperatorin competitively. Therefore, imperatorin is actively transported from blood to brain across the blood-brain barrier by passive and carrier-mediated transporter.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.449-457
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• 2021

The sleep-wake cycle is regulated by the alternating activity of sleep- and wake-promoting neurons. The dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) secretes 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, serotonin), promoting wakefulness. Melatonin secreted from the pineal gland also promotes wakefulness in rats. Our laboratory recently demonstrated that daily changes in nitric oxide (NO) production regulates a signaling pathway involving with-no-lysine kinase (WNK), Ste20-related proline alanine rich kinase (SPAK)/oxidative stress response kinase 1 (OSR1), and cation-chloride co-transporters (CCC) in rat DRN serotonergic neurons. This study was designed to investigate the effect of melatonin on NO-regulated WNK-SPAK/OSR1-CCC signaling in wake-inducing DRN neurons to elucidate the mechanism underlying melatonin's wake-promoting actions in rats. Ex vivo treatment of DRN slices with melatonin suppressed neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) expression and increased WNK4 expression without altering WNK1, 2, or 3. Melatonin increased phosphorylation of OSR1 and the expression of sodium-potassium-chloride co-transporter 1 (NKCC1), while potassium-chloride co-transporter 2 (KCC2) remained unchanged. Melatonin increased the expression of tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2, serotonin-synthesizing enzyme). The present study suggests that melatonin may promote its wakefulness by modulating NO-regulated WNK-SPAK/OSR1-KNCC1 signaling in rat DRN serotonergic neurons.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.250-256
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• 2004

Cordyceps possesses numerous health-promoting ingredients including hypoglycemic agents. The mechanism for the reduction of circulatory sugar content, however, is still not fully understand. In this study, 4-beta acetoxyscirpendiol (ASD) was purified from the methanolic extracts from fruiting bodies of Paecilomyces tenuipes. Na+/Glucose transporter-1 (SGLT-1) was expressed in the Xenopus oocytes. The effect of ASD on the oocyte expressed SGLT-1 was analyzed utilizing the voltage clamp and 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DOG) uptake studies. ASD was shown to significantly inhibit SGLT-1 activity compared to the non-treated control in a dose- dependent manner. In the presense of its two derivatives (diacetoxyscirpenol or 15-acetoxyscirpendiol), SGLT-1 activity was greatly inhibited similarly as ASD. Between ASD derivatives, 15-acetoxyscirepenol showed inhibition equivalent to that of ASD while diacetoxyscirpenol did less degree of inhibition. Insummary , these results strongly indicate that ASD in P. tenuipes may serve as a functional substance in lowering blood sugar in the circulatory system. ASD and its derivatives can be utilized as inhibitors of SGLT-1.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.115-123
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• 1991

Molecular association of glucose transporters with the other proteins in the plasma membrane was assessed by gel electrophoresis and immunoblot techniques. Approximately $31.5{\pm}5.1%$ of GLUT-4, $64.8{\pm}2.7%$ of clathrin, 48.7% of total protein in the plasma membrane (PM) were found insoluble upon extraction with 1% Tx-100. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that the Tx-100 insoluble PM fraction contained about 4 major polypeptides with apparent molecular weight of above 200, 100-120, 80 and 30-35 KDa that were readily removed upon wash with a high pH buffer which is known to remove clathrin and 0.5 M Tris-buffer which is known to remove assembly proteins (AP). Immunoblotting of GLUT4 and clathrin against specific antibodies showed that GLUT-4 and clathrin were co-solubilized up to 84.6% and 82.7% respectively by wash with a high pH buffer and 1% Tx-100. When the membrane was pre-washed with a high pH buffer and 0.5 M Tris solution, GLUT4 and clathrin were not solubilized further suggesting that GLUT4 molecules are in molecular association with clathrin, AP and/or other extrinsic membrane proteins in plasma membrane and the formation of clathrin-coated structures might be involved in insulin stimulated glucose transporter translocation mechanism.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2005

Salinity is one of the major limiting factors for agricultural productivity. In plants, accumulation of osmolytes plays a pivotal role in abiotic stress tolerance. Likewise, exclusion or compartmentation of $Na^+$ ions into vacuoles provides an efficient mechanism to avert deleterious effects of $Na^+$ in the cytosol. Both vacuolar and plasma membrane sodium transporters and $H^+-ATPases$ can provide the necessary ion homeostasis. A variety of crop plants were engineered with respect to the synthesis of osmoprotectants and ion-compartmentation, but there are other cellular pathways involved in the salinity responses that are still not completely explored. Genomics approaches are increasingly used to identify genes and pathway changes involved in salt-tolerance. The new knowledge may be used via guided genetic engineering of multiple genes to create crop plants with significantly increased productivity in saline soils. This review surveys how plants deal with high salt conditions and how salt tolerance can be improved by transgenic approaches.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.331-344
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• 1990

What makes glucose transport function sensitive to insulin in one cell type such as adipocyte, and insensitive in another such as liver cells is unresolved question at this time. Recently it is known that insulin stimulates glucose transport in adipocytes largely by redistributing transporter from the storage pool that is included in a low density microsomal fraction to plasma membrane. Therefore, insulin sensitivity may depend upon the relative distribution of gluscose transporters between the plasma membrane and in an intracellular storage compartment. In hepatocytes, the subcellular distribution of glucose transporter is less well documented. It is thus possible that the apparent insensitivity of the hepatocyte system could be either due to lack of the constitutively maintained, intracellular storage pool of glucose transporter or lack of insulin-mediated transporter translocation mechanism in this cell. In this study, I examined if any intracellular glucose transporter pool exists in hepatocytes and this pool is affected by insulin. The results obtained summarized as followings: 1) Distribution of subcellular fractions of hepatocyte showed that there are $24.9{\pm}1.3%$ of plasma membrane, $36.9{\pm}1.7%$ of nucleus-mitochondria enriched fraction, $23.5{\pm}1.2%$ of lysosomal fraction, $9.6{\pm}1.0%$ of high density microsomal fraction and $4.9{\pm}0.5%$ of low density microsomal fraction. 2) In adipocyte, there were $29.9{\pm}2.6%$ of plasma membrane, $19.4{\pm}1.9%$ of nucleus-mitochondria enriched fraction, $26.7{\pm}1.8%$ of high density microsomal fraction and $23.9{\pm}2.1%$ of low density microsomal fraction. 3) Surface labelling of sodium borohydride revealed that plasma membrane contaminated to lysosomal fraction by $26.8{\pm}2.8%$, high density microsomal fraction by $8.3{\pm}1.3%$ and low density microsomal fraction by $1.7{\pm}0.4%$ respectively. 4) Cytochalasin B bound to all of subcellular fractions with a Kd of $1.0{\times}10^{-6}M$. 5) Photolabelling of cytochalasin B to subcellular fractions occurred on 45 K dalton protein band, a putative glucose transporter and D-glucose inhibited the photolabelling. 6) Insulin didn't affect on the distribution of subcellular fractions and translocation of intracellular glucose transporters of hepatocytes. 7) HEGT reconstituted into hepatocytes was largely associated with plasma membrane and very little was found in low density microsomal fraction which equals to the native glucose transporter distribution. Insulin didn't affect on the distribution of exogeneous glucose transporter in hepatocytes. From the above results it is concluded that insulin insensitivity of hepatocyte may due to lack of intracellular storage pool of glucose transporter and thus intracellular storage pool of glucose transporter is an essential feature of the insulin action.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.710-719
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• 2001

Several amino acid transport systems in mammary gland have been characterized during the last few years. These systems may be divided into two broad categories based on whether they are sodium-dependent or $Na^{+}$-independent, and each of these categories is subdivided into 3 groups depending on whether the systems prefer zwitterionic, cationic or anionic substrates. The zwitterion preferring transport processes in mammary gland are $Na^{+}$-dependent system A and $Na^{+}$-independent systems L and T. System $y^{+}$ is a $Na^{+}$-independent transporter of cationic amino acids and $X_{AG^{-}}$ is a $Na^{+}$-dependent system for anionic amino acids. A ($Na^{+}+Cl^{-}$)-dependent system, selective for $\beta$-amino acids has been reported in rat mammary tissue. In addition, there is yet another class of transporters that have still broader specificity. The $Na^{+}$-dependent systems $BCl^{-}$-dependent and $BCl^{-}$-independent and $Na^{+}$-independent system $y^{+}L$ have been reported to mediate the transport of zwitterionic as well as cationic amino acids. Each system has been characterized with respect to its substrate specificity, affinity, kinetics and ion-dependence. Transport of amino acids by mammary tissue is regulated by i) the intracellular substrate concentration, ii) lactogenic hormones and iii) milk stasis. Four of the above transport systems (i.e. A, L, $y^{+}$ and $BCl^{-}$-independent) are up-regulated by lactogenic hormones (insulin, cortisol and prolactin) in mammary gland.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.11-17
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• 2016

Appropriate control of diet and water intake is important for maintaining normal blood pressure, fluid and electrolyte homeostasis in the body. It is relatively understood that the amount of sodium and potassium intake directly affects blood pressure and regulates ion transporters; Na and K channel functions in the kidney. However, little is known about whether diet and water intake regulates Aquaporin (AQP) function. AQPs, a family of aquaporin proteins with different types being expressed in different tissues, are important for water absorption by the cell. Water reabsorption is a passive process driven by osmotic gradient and water permeability is critical for this process. In most of the nephron, however, water reabsorption is unregulated and coupled to solute reabsorption, such as AQP1 mediated water absorption in the proximal tubule. AQP2 is the only water channel founded so far that can be regulated by hormones in the kidney. AQP2 expressed in the apical membrane of the principal cells in the collecting tubule can be regulated by vasopressin (antidiuretic hormone) controlling the final volume of urine excretion. When vasopressin binds to its receptor on the collecting duct cells, it stimulates the translocation of AQP2 to the membrane, leading to increased water absorption via this AQP2 water channel. However, some studies also indicated that the AQP2 is also been regulated by vasopressin independent mechanism. This review is focused on the regulation of AQP2 by diet and the amount of water intake on salt and water homeostasis.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.249-255
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• 2015

Wnk kinase maintains cell volume, regulating various transporters such as sodium-chloride cotransporter, potassium-chloride cotransporter, and sodium-potassium-chloride cotransporter 1 (NKCC1) through the phosphorylation of oxidative stress responsive kinase 1 (OSR1) and STE20/SPS1-related proline/alanine-rich kinase (SPAK). However, the activating mechanism of Wnk kinase in specific tissues and specific conditions is broadly unclear. In the present study, we used a human salivary gland (HSG) cell line as a model and showed that $Ca^{2+}$ may have a role in regulating Wnk kinase in the HSG cell line. Through this study, we found that the HSG cell line expressed molecules participating in the WNK-OSR1-NKCC pathway, such as Wnk1, Wnk4, OSR1, SPAK, and NKCC1. The HSG cell line showed an intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ concentration ($[Ca^{2+}]_i$) increase in response to hypotonic stimulation, and the response was synchronized with the phosphorylation of OSR1. Interestingly, when we inhibited the hypotonically induced $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ increase with nonspecific $Ca^{2+}$ channel blockers such as 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate, gadolinium, and lanthanum, the phosphorylated OSR1 level was also diminished. Moreover, a cyclopiazonic acid-induced passive $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ elevation was evoked by the phosphorylation of OSR1, and the amount of phosphorylated OSR1 decreased when the cells were treated with BAPTA, a $Ca^{2+}$ chelator. Finally, through that process, NKCC1 activity also decreased to maintain the cell volume in the HSG cell line. These results indicate that $Ca^{2+}$ may regulate the WNK-OSR1 pathway and NKCC1 activity in the HSG cell line. This is the first demonstration that indicates upstream $Ca^{2+}$ regulation of the WNK-OSR1 pathway in intact cells.