Receptor regulation of osmolyte homeostasis in neural cells

The capacity of cells to correct their volume in response to hyposmotic stress via the efflux of inorganic and organic osmolytes is well documented. However, the ability of cell-surface receptors, in particular G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), to regulate this homeostatic mechanism has received much less attention. Mechanisms that underlie the regulation of cell volume are of particular importance to cells in the central nervous system because of the physical restrictions of the skull and the adverse impact that even small increases in cell volume can have on their function. Increases in brain volume are seen in hyponatraemia, which can arise from a variety of aetiologies and is the most frequently diagnosed electrolyte disorder in clinical practice. In this review we summarize recent evidence that the activation of GPCRs facilitates the volume-dependent efflux of osmolytes from neural cells and permits them to more efficiently respond to small, physiologically relevant, reductions in osmolarity. The characteristics of receptor-regulated osmolyte efflux, the signalling pathways involved and the physiological significance of receptor activation are discussed. In addition, we propose that GPCRs may also regulate the re-uptake of osmolytes into neural cells, but that the influx of organic and inorganic osmolytes is differentially regulated. The ability of neural cells to closely regulate osmolyte homeostasis through receptor-mediated alterations in both efflux and influx mechanisms may explain, in part at least, why the brain selectively retains its complement of inorganic osmolytes during chronic hyponatraemia, whereas its organic osmolytes are depleted.