We investigated the role of the prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) EP1 receptor in modulating urine concentration as it is expressed along the renal collecting duct where argininevasopressin (AVP) exerts its anti-diuretic activity, and in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei of the hypothalamus where AVP is synthesized. The urine osmolality of EP 1-null mice (EP1 Ϫ/Ϫ ) failed to match levels achieved by wild-type (WT) counterparts upon water deprivation (WD) for 24 h. This difference was reflected by higher plasma osmolality in WD EP 1 Ϫ/Ϫ mice. Along the collecting duct, the induction and subapical to plasma membrane translocation of the aquaporin-2 water channel in WD EP Ϫ/Ϫ mice. When mice were water loaded to suppress endogenous AVP production, urine osmolalities increased equally for WT and EP 1 Ϫ/Ϫ mice. These data suggest that PGE 2 modulates urine concentration by acting at EP 1 receptors, not in the collecting duct, but within the hypothalamus to promote AVP synthesis in response to acute WD. vasopressin; urine concentration; prostaglandin E 2; EP1 receptor URINE CONCENTRATION IS A HIGHLY regulated process requiring the coordinated actions of a number of hormones at several tissue locales (2). The body responds to acute volume depletion, infection, or hyperosmolality by stimulating the production of antidiuretic hormone, arginine-vasopressin (AVP), within the hypothalamic paraventricular (PVN) and supraoptic (SON) neurons. AVP is then processed, stored, and secreted into the venous flow by the posterior pituitary to interact with renal V 2 receptors located in the principal cells of the collecting duct to promote aquaporin-2 (AQP2)-dependent water reabsorption (25). Many of these steps are subject to modulation by endocrine factors such as ANG II, catecholamines, as well as certain metabolites of the cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway, the prostaglandins (PGs) (2). Accordingly, renal prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) antagonizes the actions of AVP since NSAIDs transiently enhance urine concentration (1). Direct evidence for the underlying mechanism was provided by who demonstrated that PGE 2 attenuates vasopressin-stimulated osmotic water reabsorption in isolated microperfused rabbit collecting ducts. Subsequent cell culture studies showed that PGE 2 counteracts AVP action by enhancing AQP2 endocytotic uptake from the apical plasma membrane (33). On the other hand, recent studies showed that inhibition of COX by indomethacin reduced renal AQP2 expression in rats, implying that PGs may actually help maintain AQP2 levels (20).In addition to the well-known renal effects of PGs on urine concentration, other evidence suggests that COX-derived products could influence this process by acting at central locales. Early studies showed that AVP release was stimulated by PGE 2 in the rat neurohypophysis (32). Ishikawa et al. (17) showed a reduced release of AVP in response to either hyperosmotic exposure or ANG II in guinea pig hypothalamoneurohypophyseal cultures following treatment with indomethacin. Finally, an intracerebroventri...