Publications by authors named "Ulrich Hopfer"

Fructose consumption causes metabolic diseases and renal injury primarily in the renal cortex where fructose is metabolized. Analyzing gene differential expression induced by dietary manipulation is challenging. The effects may depend on the base diet and primary changes likely induce secondary or higher order changes that are difficult to capture by conventional univariate transcriptome analyses.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Excess circulating iron is stored in the liver, and requires reduction of non-Tf-bound iron (NTBI) and transferrin (Tf) iron at the plasma membrane and endosomes, respectively, by ferrireductase (FR) proteins for transport across biological membranes through divalent metal transporters. Here, we report that prion protein (PrP(C)), a ubiquitously expressed glycoprotein most abundant on neuronal cells, functions as a FR partner for divalent-metal transporter-1 (DMT1) and ZIP14. Thus, absence of PrP(C) in PrP-knock-out (PrP(-/-)) mice resulted in markedly reduced liver iron stores, a deficiency that was not corrected by chronic or acute administration of iron by the oral or intraperitoneal routes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Brain iron-dyshomeostasis is an important cause of neurotoxicity in prion disorders, a group of neurodegenerative conditions associated with the conversion of prion protein (PrP(C)) from its normal conformation to an aggregated, PrP-scrapie (PrP(Sc)) isoform. Alteration of iron homeostasis is believed to result from impaired function of PrP(C) in neuronal iron uptake via its ferrireductase activity. However, unequivocal evidence supporting the ferrireductase activity of PrP(C) is lacking.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Glykys et al. (Reports, 7 February 2014, p. 670) conclude that, rather than ion transporters, "local impermeant anions establish the neuronal chloride concentration" and thereby determine "the magnitude and direction of GABAAR currents at individual synapses.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Renal proximal tubule cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), compared with normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY), have increased oxidative stress. The contribution of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to the subsequent hypertensive phenotype remains unclear. We found that renal proximal tubule cells from SHR, relative to WKY, had significantly higher basal oxygen consumption rates, adenosine triphosphate synthesis-linked oxygen consumption rates, and maximum and reserve respiration.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The renin-angiotensin (Ang) system controls blood pressure, in part, by regulating renal tubular sodium transport. In the kidney, activation of the angiotensin II type 1 (AT(1)) receptor increases renal sodium reabsorption, whereas the angiotensin II type 2 (AT(2)) receptor produces the opposite effect. We hypothesized that the AT(2) receptor regulates AT(1) receptor expression and function in the kidney.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A significant amount of Ca²+ is contained in secretory mucin granules. Exchange of Ca²+ for monovalent cations drives the process of mucin decondensation and hydration after fusion of granules with the plasma membrane. Here we report direct observation of calcium secretion with a Ca²+ ion-selective electrode (ISE) in response to apical stimulation with ATP from HT29-Cl.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Angiotensin II (ANG II) is taken up by proximal tubule (PT) cells via AT1 (AT1a) receptor-mediated endocytosis, but the underlying cellular mechanisms remain poorly understood. The present study tested the hypothesis that the microtubule- rather than the clathrin-dependent endocytic pathway regulates AT1-mediated uptake of ANG II and ANG II-induced sodium and hydrogen exchanger-3 (NHE-3) expression in PT cells. The expression of AT1 receptors, clathrin light (LC) and heavy chain (HC) proteins, and type 1 microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs; MAP-1A and MAP-1B) in PT cells were knocked down by their respective small interfering (si) RNAs before AT1-mediated FITC-ANG II uptake and ANG II-induced NHE-3 expression were studied.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The dopaminergic and endothelin systems, by regulating sodium transport in the renal proximal tubule (RPT), participate in the control of blood pressure. The D(3) and ETB receptors are expressed in RPTs, and D(3) receptor function in RPTs is impaired in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that D(3) receptors can regulate ETB receptors, and that D(3) receptor regulation of ETB receptors in RPTs is impaired in SHRs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

NADPH oxidase (Nox)-dependent reactive oxygen species production is implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension. We tested the hypothesis that oxidase subunits are differentially regulated in renal proximal tubules from normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats. Basal Nox2 and Nox4, but not Rac1, in immortalized renal proximal tubule cells and brush border membranes were greater in hypertensive than in normotensive rats.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Ion transport in the renal proximal tubule (RPT) is regulated by numerous hormones and humoral factors, including insulin and dopamine. Previous studies show an interaction between insulin and the D(1) receptor. Because both D(1) and D(5) receptors belong to the D(1)-like receptor subfamily, it is possible that an interaction between insulin and the D(5) dopamine receptor exists in RPT cells from normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Dopaminergic and endothelin systems participate in the control blood pressure by regulating sodium transport in the renal proximal tubule. Disruption of either the endothelin B receptor (ETB) or D(3) dopamine receptor gene in mice produces hypertension. To examine whether these two receptors interact we studied the Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats by selectively infusing reagents into the right kidney of anesthetized rats.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The present study evaluated the activity of Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) exchanger and the abundance of Slc26a6 in immortalized renal proximal tubular epithelial (PTE) cells from the Wistar-Kyoto rat (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) and identified the signaling pathways that regulate the activity of the transporter. The affinity for HCO(3)(-) was identical in WKY and SHR PTE cells, but V(max) values (in pH units/min) in SHR PTE cells (0.4016) were significantly higher than in WKY PTE cells (0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The present study tested the hypothesis that angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced oxidative stress and Ang II-stimulated Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) exchanger are increased and related to the differential membrane Ang II type 1 (AT(1)) receptor and reduced nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase expression in immortalized renal proximal tubular epithelial (PTE) cells from the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) relative to its normotensive control (Wistar Kyoto rat [WKY]). The exposure of cells to Ang II increased Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) exchanger activity with EC(50)s of 0.10 and 12.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study evaluated the effects of aldosterone upon Na+/H+ exchange (NHE) activity in immortalized proximal tubular epithelial (PTE) cells from the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) and the normotensive controls (Wistar Kyoto rat; WKY). Increases in NHE activity after exposure to aldosterone occurred in time- and concentration-dependent manner in SHR PTE cells, but not in WKY PTE cells. The aldosterone-induced increases in NHE activity were prevented by spironolactone, but not by the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist Ru 38486.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The ciliary/flagellar system is perhaps unique in biology in that not only are biochemical manipulations used to elucidate the function, but physical manipulations as well. Thus, there is a considerable need to have an integrated physical-biochemical model of a cilium and its function. The emphasis of this paper will be to firstly, provide a mechanistic picture of the cilium and its environment because the biological community is perhaps less aware of this type of model development, and second, to point the way towards future experiments that will elucidate the role of the cilium in organ and organism level signaling and regulation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Short-circuit current (Isc) measurement is used to quantify transepithelial ion flux. This technique provides a direct measure of net charge transport across a cell monolayer. Isc however, lacks chemical selectivity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Angiotensin II is a major regulatory peptide for proximal tubule Na(+) reabsorption acting through two distinct receptor subtypes: AT(1) and AT(2). Physiological or pathological roles of AT(2) have been difficult to unravel because angiotensin II can affect Na(+) transport either directly via AT(2) on luminal or peritubular plasma membranes of proximal tubule cells or indirectly via the renal vasculature. Furthermore, separate systemic and intratubular renin-angiotensin systems impart considerable complexity to angiotensin's regulation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: The goal of this work is to understand the cellular effects of advanced glycation end product (AGE)-modified protein on renal proximal tubule cells.

Background: A major function of the proximal tubule is to reabsorb and process filtered proteins. Diabetes is characterized by increased quantities of tissue and circulating proteins modified by AGEs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The canonical transient receptor potential channels TRPC3 and TRPC6 are abundantly expressed along with the water channel aquaporin-2 (AQP2) in principal cells of the cortical and medullary collecting duct. Although TRPC3 is selectively localized to the apical membrane and TRPC6 is found in both the apical and basolateral domains, immunofluorescence is often observed in the cytoplasm, suggesting that TRPC3 and TRPC6 may exist in intracellular vesicles and may shuttle to and from the membrane in response to receptor stimulation. To test this hypothesis, the effect of arginine-vasopressin (AVP) on the subcellular distribution of TRPC3, TRPC6, and AQP2 was examined in the rat kidney and in cultured cell lines from the cortical (M1) and inner medullary (IMCD-3) collecting duct.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Considerable experimental evidence indicates that the primary, nonmotile cilium is a mechanosensory organelle in several epithelial cell types. As the relationship between cellular responses and nature and magnitude of applied forces is not well understood, we have investigated the effects of exposure of monolayers of renal collecting duct chief cells to orbital shaking and quantified the forces incident on cilia. An exposure of 24 h of these cells to orbital shaking resulted in a decrease of amiloride-sensitive sodium current by approximately 60% and ciliary length by approximately 30%.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The present study evaluates the presence and functional proprieties of the Na(+)-HCO(3)(-) cotransporter (NBC) in immortalized renal proximal tubular epithelial cells from spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. The expected size and nucleotide sequence of a 1031-bp fragment corresponding to type 1 NBC (NBC1) was identified in both cell lines. The expression of the NBC1 transcript was lower (P<0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF