Regulation of the sodium transporters NHE3, NKCC2 and NCC in the kidney

The regulation of sodium transport in the kidney is important for maintenance of extracellular fluid volume and arterial blood-pressure regulation. The major sodium transporters and channels in individual renal tubule segments have been identified via physiological techniques, and complementary DNAs for all of the key sodium transporters and channels expressed along the renal tubule have been cloned. Complementary DNA probes and antibodies are now being used to investigate the molecular basis of renal tubule sodium-transport regulation. This review summarizes some of the major observations made in the past year that are relevant to the regulation of the major sodium transporters in the proximal tubule (the type 3 sodium - hydrogen exchanger, NHE3), the thick ascending limb of Henle (the bumetanide-sensitive sodium -potassium - chloride cotransporter, NKCC2), and the distal convoluted tubule (the thiazide-sensitive sodium - chloride cotransporter, NCC).