Acute effects of aldosterone on the epithelial Na channel in rat kidney

The acute effects of aldosterone administration on epithelial Na channels (ENaC) in rat kidney were examined using electrophysiology and immunodetection. Animals received a single injection of aldosterone (20 μg/kg body wt), which reduced Na excretion over the next 3 h. Channel activity was assessed in principal cells of cortical collecting ducts as amiloride-sensitive whole cell clamp current (INa). INa averaged 100 pA/cell, 20-30% of that reported for the same preparation under conditions of chronic stimulation. INa was negligible in control animals that did not receive hormone. The acute physiological response correlated with changes in ENaC processing and trafficking. These effects included increases in the cleaved forms of α-ENaC and γ-ENaC, assessed by Western blot, and increases in the surface expression of β-ENaC and γ-ENaC measured after surface protein biotinylation. These changes were qualitatively and quantitatively similar to those of chronic stimulation. This suggests that altered trafficking to or from the apical membrane is an early response to the hormone and that later increases in channel activity require stimulation of channels residing at the surface.