The distal parts of the renal tubule play a critical role in maintaining homeostasis of extracellular fluids. In this review, we present an in-depth analysis of microarray-based gene expression profiles available for microdissected mouse distal nephron segments, i.e., the distal convoluted tubule (DCT) and the connecting tubule (CNT), and for the cortical portion of the collecting duct (CCD; Zuber et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 106: [16523][16524][16525][16526][16527][16528] 2009). Classification of expressed transcripts in 14 major functional gene categories demonstrated that all principal proteins involved in maintaining the salt and water balance are represented by highly abundant transcripts. However, a significant number of transcripts belonging, for instance, to categories of Gprotein-coupled receptors or serine/threonine kinases exhibit high expression levels but remain unassigned to a specific renal function. We also established a list of genes differentially expressed between the DCT/CNT and the CCD. This list is enriched by genes related to segment-specific transport functions and by transcription factors directing the development of the distal nephron or collecting ducts. Collectively, this in silico analysis provides comprehensive information about relative abundance and tissue specificity of the DCT/ CNT and the CCD expressed transcripts and identifies new candidate genes for renal homeostasis.

The collecting duct of normal kidney exhibits significant activity of the MEK1/2-ERK1/2 pathway as shown in vivo by immunostaining of phosphorylated active ERK1/2 (pERK1/2). The MEK1/2-ERK1/2 pathway controls many different ion transports both in proximal and distal nephron, raising the question of whether this pathway is involved in the basal and/or hormone-dependent transepithelial sodium reabsorption in the principal cell of the cortical collecting duct (CCD), a process mediated by the apical epithelial sodium channel and the basolateral sodium pump (Na,K-ATPase). To answer this question we used ex vivo microdissected CCDs from normal mouse kidney or in vitro cultured mpkCCD cl4 principal cells. Significant basal levels of pERK1/2 were observed ex vivo and in vitro. Aldosterone and vasopressin, known to up-regulate sodium reabsorption in CCDs, did not change ERK1/2 activity either ex vivo or in vitro. Basal and aldosterone-or vasopressin-stimulated sodium transport was down-regulated by the MEK1/2 inhibitor PD98059, in parallel with a decrease in pERK1/2 in vitro. The activity of Na,K-ATPase but not that of epithelial sodium channel was inhibited by MEK1/2 inhibitors in both unstimulated and aldosterone-or vasopressin-stimulated CCDs in vitro. Cell surface biotinylation showed that intrinsic activity rather than cell surface expression of Na,K-ATPase was controlled by pERK1/2. PD98059 also significantly inhibited the activity of Na,K-ATPase ex vivo. Our data demonstrate that the ERK1/2 pathway controls Na,K-ATPase activity and transepithelial sodium transport in the principal cell and indicate that basal constitutive activity of the ERK1/2 pathway is a critical component of this control.The extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) 1 pathway, also known as p42 and p44 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway, plays a critical role in cellular responses to a wide variety of external stimuli including hormones, growth factors, and environmental stress (for review, see Refs. 1 and 2). The ERK1/2 pathway is a three-step kinase cascade in which ERK1/2 kinases are phosphorylated/ activated by two immediate upstream MAP kinases (MEK1 and MEK2 (MEK1/2)) that are in turn phosphorylated/activated by several MAP kinases (i.e. MOS, C-Raf, and B-Raf). Activated ERK1/2 (pERK1/2) phosphorylates various downstream effectors involved in differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, survival, cellular metabolism, and ion transport. The MAP kinase cascade may also be constitutively activated independent of external stimuli or ligands. This basal activity is the result of the balance between positive and negative factors regulating MAP kinases activity; that is, phosphatases, subcellular localization, expression of scaffold proteins, and activity of other kinases. In the kidney, the ERK1/2 pathway is involved in the hormonal regulation of different apical and basolateral channels or transporters expressed along the nephron for maintaining the extracellular fluid homeostasis. In the proximal tubule the ERK...

Experimental evidence is given for the occurrence in GaS"Se, "(0(x( 0.2) of a resonance between the free exciton associated with the direct band gap on the one hand and states near the indirect-conduction-band minimum on the other hand. This evidence includes the temperature dependence of the luminescence spectrum of GaS"Se, " for excitation energies lying above and below the exciton ground state, the excitation spectra of two characteristic luminescence lines, and the shape of the absorption line of the free exciton. The experimental results are in excellent agreement with a model of recombination kinetics proposed earlier for GaSe as well as with Pano's theory of the line shape of resonant states.

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