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Updated: Jan 26, 2026
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Single-Cell Calcium Imaging for Studying the Activation of Calcium Ion Channels
Published on: December 13, 2024
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Calcium-permeable ion channels in the kidney
1Department of Medicine and Glom-NExT Center for Glomerular Kidney Disease and Novel Experimental Therapeutics, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; and.
American Journal of Physiology. Renal Physiology
|April 1, 2016
Summary
Kidneys maintain calcium homeostasis by filtering and reabsorbing calcium ions (Ca2+). This review details calcium-permeable ion channels, like TRP channels, crucial for kidney function and disease, highlighting their therapeutic potential.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Cell Physiology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Calcium ions (Ca2+) are vital for cellular functions and tightly regulated to maintain homeostasis.
- The kidneys play a key role in Ca2+ homeostasis through filtration and reabsorption.
- Ca2+ is essential for kidney development, function, and disease pathogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review Ca2+-permeable ion channels in the kidney.
- To summarize the expression, function, and pathological roles of these channels.
- To explore the therapeutic potential of kidney Ca2+ channels.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent genetic and molecular biological studies.
- Analysis of Ca2+-permeable ion channel families in kidney tissue.
- Synthesis of data on channel expression, function, and disease association.
Main Results:
- Identified key Ca2+-permeable ion channel families regulating kidney Ca2+ homeostasis, including Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels and voltage-gated calcium channels.
- Detailed the expression patterns and physiological functions of these channels in renal tubules.
- Highlighted the involvement of these channels in the development and progression of kidney diseases.
Conclusions:
- Ca2+-permeable ion channels are critical regulators of kidney Ca2+ homeostasis and function.
- Dysregulation of these channels contributes to kidney disease.
- Targeting these ion channels offers promising therapeutic strategies for kidney disorders.
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