Gene structure of urea transporters

Urea plays various roles in the biology of diverse organisms. The past decade has produced new information on the molecular structure of several urea transporters in various species. Availability of DNA probes has revealed that the presence of urea transporters is not confined to the mammalian kidne...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of physiology. Renal physiology 2003-01, Vol.284 (1), p.F3-F10
Main Author: Bagnasco, Serena M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amino Acid Sequence
Animals
Carrier Proteins - genetics
Humans
Kidney - physiology
Membrane Glycoproteins - genetics
Membrane Transport Proteins
Molecular Sequence Data
Urea Transporters
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Summary:Urea plays various roles in the biology of diverse organisms. The past decade has produced new information on the molecular structure of several urea transporters in various species. Availability of DNA probes has revealed that the presence of urea transporters is not confined to the mammalian kidney but is also evident in testis and brain, raising new questions about the possible physiological role of urea in these organs. Cloning of the genes encoding the two closely related mammalian urea transporters UT-A and UT-B has helped in identifying molecular mechanisms affecting expression of urea transporters in the kidney, such as transcriptional control for UT-A abundance. On the basis of analysis of genomic sequences of individuals lacking the UT-B transporter, mutations have been found that explain deficits in their capacity to concentrate urine. More urea transporters are being characterized in marine organisms and lower vertebrates, and studying the role and regulation of urea transport from an evolutionary perspective can certainly enrich our understanding of renal physiology.
ISSN:1931-857X
1522-1466
DOI:10.1152/ajprenal.00260.2002