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P2X Receptors in Epithelia

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Ion Channels and Transporters of Epithelia in Health and Disease

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

Abstract

P2X receptors are ubiquitously expressed in all epithelial tissues, but their functional roles are less well studied. Here we review the current state of knowledge by focusing on functional effects of P2X receptor in secretory and in absorptive tissues. In glandular tissue like the parotid gland, basolateral P2X receptors stimulate ion secretion via an increase of [Ca2+]i. In absorptive epithelia like the renal tubule, P2X receptor stimulation mediates the inhibition of NaCl, Mg2+, and water transport in the thick ascending limb and the distal convoluted tubule, respectively. The underlying signaling pathways that inhibit epithelial absorption are currently not well understood. Epithelial P2X7 receptors show pronounced upregulation during various diseased states highlighting a role of purinergic signaling in epithelial pathophysiology. Importantly, functional effects of epithelial P2X receptors cover numerous other aspects ranging from modulation of sound transmission, activation of apoptosis, or production of oxygen radicals. Eventually, P2X receptors in epithelia are an understudied issue offering numerous novel and very attractive questions.

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Acknowledgments

The author greatly thanks a very lively laboratory team, which is always willing to challenge the current working hypotheses and provides me with endless joy to go to work every day. These wonderful people are currently Helle A. Praetorius, Mads Vaarby Sørensen, Casper K. Larsen, Pauline I.A. de Bruijn, Iben Skov Jensen, Jeppe Olsen, Samuel Svendsen, Marianne Skals, Helle Jakobsen, and Karen Sjødt Sørensen. And I further thank the Danish Medical Research Council and the Lundbeck Foundation for many years of financial support for our research.

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  1. Department of Biomedicine – Physiology, Aarhus University, Ole Worms Allé 4, Building 1160, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark

    Jens Leipziger

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Correspondence to Jens Leipziger .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, University of Otago , Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand

    Kirk L. Hamilton

  2. Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

    Daniel C Devor

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Leipziger, J. (2016). P2X Receptors in Epithelia. In: Hamilton, K., Devor, D. (eds) Ion Channels and Transporters of Epithelia in Health and Disease. Physiology in Health and Disease. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3366-2_9

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