Browsing Pathways

The distal convoluted tubule of the nephron is the part of the kidney between the loop of henle and the collecting duct. When renin is released from the kidneys, it causes the activation of angiotensin I in the blood circulation which is cleaved to become angiotensin II. Angiotensin II stimulates the release of aldosterone from the adrenal cortex and release of vasopressin from the posterior pituitary gland. When in the circulation, vasopressin eventually binds to receptors on epithelial cells in the distal convoluted tubule. This causes vesicles that contain aquaporins to fuse with the plasma membrane. Aquaporins are proteins that act as water channels once they have bound to the plasma membrane. As a result, the permeability of the distal convoluted tubule changes to allow for water reabsorption back into the blood circulation. In addition, sodium, chlorine, and calcium are also reabsorbed back into the systemic circulation via their respective channels and exchangers. However, aldosterone is a major regulator of the reabsorption of these ions as well, as it changes the permeability of the distal convoluted tubule to these ions. As a result, a high concentration of sodium, chlorine, and calcium in the blood vessels occurs. The reabsorption of ions and water increases blood fluid volume and blood pressure.

Pancreatic delta cells produce somatostatin which functions to inhibit glucagon, insulin, and itself. Somatostatin is stored in granules in the delta cell and is released in response to an increase in blood sugar, calcium, and blood amino acids during absorption of a meal. In the process of somatostatin secretion, glucose must first undergo glycolysis in the mitochondrion to increase ATP in the cell. The inside of the alpha cell then becomes electrically positive due to the closure of potassium channels that were inhibited by ATP. From this closure, the potassium is no longer being shuttled out of the cell, thus depolarizing the cell due to the extra intracellular potassium. The resulting action potential from the increased membrane potential causes the voltage gate calcium channels to open, creating an influx of calcium into the cell. This triggers the exocytosis of somatostatin granules from the delta cell.

The proximal convoluted tubule is part of the nephron between the Bowman's capsule and the loop of Henle. The proximal convoluted tubule functions to reabsorb sodium, water, and other ions. Sodium and bicarbonate (hydrogen carbonate) are transported by a co-transporter that is responsible for the majority of sodium reabsorption. The bicarbonate, along with hydrogen, are exchanged across the basal and apical membranes, respectively, to effectively regulate the pH of the filtrate. In addition, chloride ions are not normally reabsorbed in large amounts at the proximal tubule compared to other parts of the nephron. However, the reabsorption of chloride, as well as potassium, increases as the amount of water reabsorption increases due to solvent drag (also known as bulk transport). This occurrence explains solute movement secondary to water flow. All the cation and anion transport creates a gradient favourable for ion and water reabsorption, leading to an increase in blood pressure.

The transcription of DNA is aided in large part by something called "homeodomain transcription factors". They are a diverse group of DNA binding factors. In fact, genes which are created with the aid of homeodomain factors tend to conglomerate and are responsible for anterior-posterior patterning. There is much to be said as well regarding the development and growth of cardiac myocytes and homedomain transcription factors. Indeed, at the early stages of the cell differentiation of cardiac myoctes a delicate balance of joint expression of several factors is needed for correct development (namely: serum response factor (SRF), and GATA4) and a homeodomain factor known as Nkx2-5! The joint expression of the aforementioned factors is the critical in the development of myocytes as well as gene expression in the cardiac region. To underline the importance of the homeodomain transcription factors, note that an error in the Nkx2-5 gene has severe consequences, which include, though are not necessarily limited to, embryonic lethality, as well as severe problems in general heart development. To put all this in context of the pathway in question, Hop actually stands for (Homeodomain Only Protein). The Hop gene plays an important role in the cardiac development we have been describing, as it too encodes a homedomain factor which plays an important role at the onset stages of cardiac development. The Hop gene is downstream of the Mkx2-5 factor we discussed earlier, and similar to it, improper activation of Hop can lead to severe cardiac development issues. In mice for example, not have the Hop gene results in alterations to the cell cycle. In particular, cardiac cells are unable to exit the cycle at the correct stage and continue grow after normal developmental stage has finished. There exists an interesting symbiosis between Hop and SRF. First, Hop regulates gene expression by either binding to SRF or by preventing SRF binding to DNA. This occurs because Hop does not have anything to bind to DNA with, and as such must have different methods to regulate gene expression. Second, when Hop blocks normal SRF binding, the results is that the activation of genes in the heart is affected and normal development does not occur. In a nutshell, what can be said about this tango action of SRF and Hop is this: during the first stages of development, what is observed is that the Hop interaction is one which results in a cessation of the differentiation processes which are induced by SRF. In the later stages, it appears that Hop reduces cell proliferation which is normally caused by SRF.

Neurons are electrically excitable cells that process and transmit information through electrical and chemical signals. A neuron consists of a cell body, branched dendrites to receive sensory information, and a long singular axon to transmit motor information. Signals travel from the axon of one neuron to the dendrite of another via a synapse. Neurons maintain a voltage gradient across their membrane using metabolically driven ion pumps and ion channels for charge-carrying ions, including sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), chloride (Cl−), and calcium (Ca2+). The resting membrane potential (charge) of a neuron is about -70 mV because there is an accumulation of more sodium ions outside the neuron compared to the number of potassium ions inside. If the membrane potential changes by a large enough amount, an electrochemical pulse called an action potential is generated. Stimuli such as pressure, stretch, and chemical transmitters can activate a neuron by causing specific ion-channels to open, changing the membrane potential. During this period, called depolarization, the sodium channels open to allow sodium to rush into the cell which results in the membrane potential to increase. Once the interior of the neuron becomes more positively charged, the sodium channels close and the potassium channels open to allow potassium to move out of the cell to try and restore the resting membrane potential (this stage is called repolarization). There is a period of hyperpolarization after this step because the potassium channels are slow to close, thus allowing more potassium outside the cell than necessary. The resting potential is restored after the sodium-potassium pump works to exchange three sodium ions out per two potassium ions in across the plasma membrane. The action potential travels along the axon and upon reaching the end, causes neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, or norepinephrine to be released into the synapse. These neurotransmitters diffuse across the synapse and bind to receptors on the target cell, thus propagating the signal.

Angiotensin is a peptide hormone that is part of the renin-angiotensin system responsible for regulating fluid homeostasis and blood pressure. It is involved in various means to increase the body's blood pressure, hence why it is a target for many pharmceutical drugs that treat hypertension and cardiac conditions. Angiotensin II, the primary agent to inducing an increased blood pressure, is formed in the general circulation when it is cleaved from a string of precursor molecules. Angiotensinogen is converted into angiotensin I with the action of renin, an enzyme secreted from the kidneys. From there, angiotensin I is converted to the central agent, angiotensin II, with the aid of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) so that it is available in the circulation to act on numerous areas in the body when an increase in blood pressure is needed. Angiotensin II can act directly on receptors on the smooth muscle cells of the tunica media layer in the blood vessel to induce vasoconstriction and a subsequent increase in blood pressure. However, it can also influence the blood pressure by aiding in an increase of the circulating blood volume. Angiotensin II can cause vasopressin to be released, which is a hormone involved in regulating water reabsorption. Vasopressin is created in the supraoptic nuclei and they travel down the neurosecretory neuron axon to be stored in the neuronal terminals within the posterior pituitary. Angiotensin II in the cerebral circulation triggers the release of vasopressin from the posterior pituitary gland. From there, vasopressin enters into the systemic blood circulation where it eventually binds to receptors on epithelial cells in the collecting ducts of the nephron. The binding of vasopressin causes vesicles of epithelial cells to fuse with the plasma membrane. These vesicles contain aquaporin II, which are proteins that act as water channels once they have bound to the plasma membrane. As a result, the permeability of the collecting duct changes to allow for water reabsorption back into the blood circulation. Angiotensin II also has an effect on the hypothalmus, where it helps trigger a thirst sensation. Correspondingly, there will be an increase in oral water uptake into the body, which would then also increase the circulating blood volume. Another way that angiotensin II helps increase the blood volume is by acting on the adrenal cortex to stimulate aldosterone release, which is responsible for increasing sodium reuptake in the distal convoluted tubules and the collecting duct. It is formed when angiotensin II binds to receptors on the zona glomerulosa cells in the adrenal cortex, which triggers a signaling cascade that eventually activates the steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein to allow for cholesterol uptake into the mitochondria. Cholesterol then undergoes a series of reactions during steroidogenesis, which is a process that ultimately leads to the synthesis of aldosterone from cholesterol. Aldosterone then goes to act on the distal convoluted tubule and the collecting duct to make them more permeable to sodium to allow for its reuptake. Water subsequently follows sodium back into the system, which would therefore increase the circulating blood volume. In addition, potassium and hydrogen are also being excreted into the urine simultaneously to maintain the electrolyte balance.

Aldosterone is a hormone produced in the zona glomerulosa of the adrenal cortex. It's function is to act on the distal convoluted tubule and the collecting duct of the nephron to make them more permeable to sodium to allow for its reuptake (in addition to allowing potassium wasting). As a result, water follows the sodium back into the body. The water retention contributes to an increased blood volume. Angiotensin II from the circulation binds to receptors on the zona glomerulosa cell membrane, activating the G protein and triggering a signaling cascade. The end result is the activation of the steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein that permits cholesterol uptake into the mitochondria. From there, cholesterol undergoes a series of reactions in both the mitochondrion and the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (steroidogenesis) where it finally becomes aldosterone.

The loop of Henle of the nephron can be separated into an ascending limb and the descending limb. The ascending limb is highly impermeable to water, but permeable to solutes. Conversely, the descending limb is highly impermeable to solutes such as sodium, but permeable to water. As solutes are being actively transported out of the ascending limb, the solutes cause in increase in osmotic pressure. This, combined with the ability for water to move freely out of the descending limb, leads to a water reabsorption into the adjacent capillary network and a high concentration of sodium in the filtrate at the descending Limb. Water moves from the descending loop to the capillary network through aquaporin channels in the cell membrane.

Tubular striated muscle cells (i.e. skeletal and cardiac myocytes) are composed of bundles of rod-like myofibrils. Each individual myofibril consists of many repeating units called sarcomeres. These functional units, in turn, are composed of many alternating actin and mysoin protein filaments that produce muscle contraction. The muscle contraction process is initiated when the muscle cell is depolarized enough for an action potential to occur. When acetylcholine is released from the motor neuron axon terminals that are adjacent to the muscle cells, it binds to receptors on the sarcolemma (muscle cell membrane), causing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors to be activated and the sodium/potassium channels to be opened. The fast influx of sodium and slow efflux of potassium through the channel causes depolarization. The resulting action potential that is generated travels along the sarcolemma and down the T-tubule, activating the L-type voltage-dependent calcium channels on the sarcolemma and ryanodine receptors on the sarcoplasmic reticulum. When these are activated, it triggers the release of calcium ions from the sarcoplasmic reticulum into the cytosol. From there, the calcium ions bind to the protein troponin which displaces the tropomysoin filaments from the binding sites on the actin filaments. This allows for myosin filaments to be able to bind to the actin. According to the Sliding Filament Theory, the myosin heads that have an ADP and phosphate attached binds to the actin, forming a cross-bridge. Once attached, the myosin performs a powerstroke which slides the actin filaments together. The ATP and phosphate are dislodged during this process. However, ATP now binds to the myosin head, which causes the myosin to detach from the actin. The cycle repeats once the attached ATP dissociates into ADP and phosphate, and the myosin performs another powerstroke, bringing the actin filaments even closer together. Numerous actin filaments being pulled together simultaneously across many muscles cells triggers muscle contraction.

Alpha cells are a type of islet cell found in the pancreas that release glucagon. Glucagon counteracts insulin and functions to maintain glucose homeostasis when detected glucose levels are low. Glucagon is contained in granules in the cell as a reserve ready to be released. Extracellular glucose levels and ion channels regulate the secretion of glucagon. Glucose undergoes glycolysis to increase ATP in the cell. The moderate activity of potassium ATP channels causes the membrane potential to be around -70mV. The alpha cell then becomes electrically active due to the closure of potassium channels. The cell membrane becomes depolarized due to voltage dependent sodium, potassium and calcium channels. This causes an increase in action potentials and opens voltage gate calcium channels causing an increase of calcium into the cell. This triggers the exocytosis of glucagon from the cell. Conversely, an increase in extracellular glucose leads to an increase in ATP production and inhibition of potassium ATP channels. The membrane depolarizes to a membrane potential that inactivates voltage dependent calcium channels. This results in decreased intracellular calcium and inhibits exocytosis of glucagon.