Seminars in Nephrology
Volume 26, Issue 5 , Pages 334-344, September 2006

Na+/H+ Exchangers in Renal Regulation of Acid-Base Balance

  • I. Alexandru Bobulescu
    • ,
  • Orson W. Moe

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress reprint requests to Orson W. Moe, MD, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390-8856.

Charles and Jane Pak Center for Mineral Metabolism and Clinical Research, Department of Internal Medicine, and Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.

The kidney plays key roles in extracellular fluid pH homeostasis by reclaiming bicarbonate (HCO3−) filtered at the glomerulus and generating the consumed HCO3− by secreting protons (H+) into the urine (renal acidification). Sodium-proton exchangers (NHEs) are ubiquitous transmembrane proteins mediating the countertransport of Na+ and H+ across lipid bilayers. In mammals, NHEs participate in the regulation of cell pH, volume, and intracellular sodium concentration, as well as in transepithelial ion transport. Five of the 10 isoforms (NHE1-4 and NHE8) are expressed at the plasma membrane of renal epithelial cells. The best-studied isoform for acid-base homeostasis is NHE3, which mediates both HCO3− absorption and H+ excretion in the renal tubule. This article reviews some important aspects of NHEs in the kidney, with special emphasis on the role of renal NHE3 in the maintenance of acid-base balance.

Keywords: sodium/hydrogen exchange, renal acidification, bicarbonate absorption

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 Supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (DK48482, DK20543 to O.W.M.), the National Kidney Foundation (to I.A.B.), the Charles and Jane Pak Research Fellowship (to I.A.B.), and the Simmons Family Foundation (to O.W.M.).

PII: S0270-9295(06)00078-7

doi:10.1016/j.semnephrol.2006.07.001

Seminars in Nephrology
Volume 26, Issue 5 , Pages 334-344, September 2006

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