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Updated: Oct 21, 2026

Induction of Atherosclerotic Plaques Through Activation of Mineralocorticoid Receptors in Apolipoprotein E-deficient Mice
Published on: September 26, 2018
Cellular mechanisms of action of mineralocorticoid hormones
1Department of Nephrology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington D.C. 20307.
Abstract:
Mineralocorticoid hormones are a subset of steroid hormones that act primarily in epithelial tissues to regulate ion transport of Na+, K+ and H+. Cellular specificity is conferred by receptors which act in the nucleus to stimulate gene expression. Transcription and subsequent translation result in the production of new proteins which mediate the physiologic effects. The mechanisms involved in receptor specificity and localization, in regulation of gene activation, and in expression of transport effects are reviewed. The cellular actions of mineralocorticoids fit well with the general model of steroid hormone action but considerable questions remain at each step in the process.
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