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Updated: May 28, 2026

Single-channel Analysis and Calcium Imaging in the Podocytes of the Freshly Isolated Glomeruli
Published on: June 27, 2015
Independent regulation of Na+ and K+ balance by the kidney
María Castañeda-Bueno1, Juan Pablo Arroyo, Gerardo Gamba
1Molecular Physiology Unit, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, and Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico.
Abstract:
The understanding of the independent regulation of sodium and potassium by the kidney has remained elusive. Recent evidence now points to dissimilar regulatory mechanisms in ion handling, dependent on the presence of either aldosterone alone or angiotensin II with aldosterone among other factors. This review summarizes past and present information in an attempt to reconcile the current concepts of differential regulation of sodium and potassium balance through the with-no-lysine (K) kinase (WNK) system and the previous knowledge regarding ion transport mechanisms in the distal nephron.
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