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Na+/H+ Exchangers in Epithelia

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Studies of Epithelial Transporters and Ion Channels

Part of the book series: Physiology in Health and Disease ((PIHD))

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Abstract

Cation/proton antiporters (CPAs), which include Na+/H+ exchangers, are evolutionarily ancient transporters present in most species from prokaryotes to higher eukaryotes. Many of them are expressed in epithelial cells or various organs, where they utilize the electrochemical gradient of one ion to transport another ion against its electrochemical gradient. In the intestinal and renal epithelia, NHEs are critical for vectorial transport of Na+, HCO3 and water, and consequently for the systemic volume and acid–base homeostasis. They also contribute to nutrient absorption, cellular proliferation, migration, and apoptosis, and modulate extracellular milieu, e.g., to regulate the intestinal microbial microenvironment. Their dysregulation, or in some instances, mutations, contributes to the human disease pathogenesis and some of the well-characterized Na+/H+ exchangers have been considered as attractive targets for pharmacological inhibition. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the members of the CPA superfamily of cation/proton antiporters, with particular focus on their roles in epithelial cells, their expression patterns, intracellular localization, regulation, and function, primarily as determined by gene targeting studies.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Trudy Meckler for her editorial assistance.

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Correspondence to Fayez K. Ghishan .

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© 2020 The American Physiological Society

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Kiela, P.R., Xu, H., Ghishan, F.K. (2020). Na+/H+ Exchangers in Epithelia. In: Hamilton, K.L., Devor, D.C. (eds) Studies of Epithelial Transporters and Ion Channels. Physiology in Health and Disease. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55454-5_5

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