Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2026
08:54
Monitoring Leucine-Rich Repeat Containing 8 Channel (LRRC8/VRAC) Activity Using Sensitized-Emission Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (SE-FRET)
Published on: August 9, 2024
Osmosensory mechanisms in cellular and systemic volume regulation
Stine Falsig Pedersen1, András Kapus, Else K Hoffmann
1Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 13, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark. Sfpedersen@bio.ku.dk
Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN
|August 20, 2011
Summary
Organisms tightly regulate osmolarity to maintain cell and body volume homeostasis. This review details cellular volume sensing mechanisms, focusing on kidney and systemic osmosensors involved in maintaining fluid balance.
Area of Science:
- Cellular Biology
- Physiology
- Homeostasis
Background:
- Cellular and systemic osmolarity perturbations challenge organismal function.
- Tight regulation of osmolarity is crucial for survival.
- Understanding these regulatory mechanisms is key to maintaining overall health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline current evidence on cellular volume sensing mechanisms.
- To focus on mechanisms relevant to kidney function and body fluid homeostasis.
- To review central and peripheral systemic osmosensors.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of current evidence.
- Focus on molecular signals and osmosensors.
- Examination of kidney and systemic mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Early signals of volume perturbation include integrins, cytoskeleton, receptor tyrosine kinases, and transient receptor potential channels.
- Evidence on the localization and function of central and peripheral systemic osmosensors is presented.
- Pathophysiological conditions linked to impaired volume sensing are briefly discussed.
Conclusions:
- Cellular and systemic osmosensing are critical for maintaining homeostasis.
- Further research is needed on the pathophysiology of disrupted volume sensing.
- Integrins, cytoskeleton, RTKs, and TRP channels are key players in volume perturbation response.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:25Regulation of Water Intake
Osmolality refers to the number of solute particles per kilogram of solvent in a solution. Plasma osmolality specifically indicates the total number of solute particles per kilogram of water in blood plasma. This value reflects the body's hydration status and is tightly regulated through mechanisms controlling water intake and output. While water consumption is a conscious decision, the body has intrinsic regulatory systems to maintain fluid balance. Dehydration, a state of water deficit...
00:47Osmosis
Approximately 60% to 95% of the weight of living organisms is attributed to water. Therefore, maintaining appropriate water balance within cells is of paramount importance. Osmosis is the movement of water across a semipermeable membrane, such as a cell’s plasma membrane. In living organisms, water plays a crucial role as a solvent—a molecule that dissolves other molecules.
01:30Osmosis
Osmosis is the movement of free water molecules through a semipermeable membrane. The water's concentration gradient across the membrane is inversely proportional to the solutes' concentration. Whereas diffusion transports material across membranes and within cells, osmosis transports only water across a membrane, and the membrane limits the diffusion of solutes in the water. Osmosis is a special case of diffusion.
Water, like other substances, moves from a high concentration of free water...
Water, like other substances, moves from a high concentration of free water...
01:17Hormonal Regulation of Blood Pressure
Endocrinal or hormonal intervention in the cardiovascular system is predominantly exerted by the catecholamines - epinephrine and norepinephrine, as well as a slew of hormones that interact with renal function to modulate blood volume.
Epinephrine and Norepinephrine
The adrenal medulla releases epinephrine and norepinephrine, catecholamines that enhance and extend the sympathetic or "fight or flight" physiological response. These hormones escalate heart rate and the force of contraction while...
Epinephrine and Norepinephrine
The adrenal medulla releases epinephrine and norepinephrine, catecholamines that enhance and extend the sympathetic or "fight or flight" physiological response. These hormones escalate heart rate and the force of contraction while...
00:59Tonicity in Animals
The tonicity of a solution determines if a cell gains or loses water in that solution. The tonicity depends on the permeability of the cell membrane for different solutes and the concentration of nonpenetrating solutes in the solution within and outside of the cell. If a semipermeable membrane hinders the passage of some solutes but allows water to follow its concentration gradient, water moves from the side with low osmolarity (i.e., less solute) to the side with higher osmolarity (i.e.,...
01:16Tonicity in Animals
Tonicity describes the amount of solute in a solution. The measure of the tonicity of a solution, or the total amount of solutes dissolved in a specific amount of solution, is called its osmolarity. Three terms—hypotonic, isotonic, and hypertonic—are used to relate the osmolarity of a cell to the osmolarity of the extracellular fluid that contains the cells. In a hypotonic solution, such as tap water, the extracellular fluid has a lower concentration of solutes than the fluid inside the cell,...