Tubule epithelial cells (TECs) regulate the reabsorption of water and electrolytes; however, the role of mechanical force in driving fluid transport by TECs is unclear. Using a microfluidic platform to mimic fluid transport, Choudhury and colleagues now show that TECs act as mechanobiological fluid pumps, actively generating hydraulic pressure gradients across the epithelium. The trans-epithelial fluidic flux, which occurs in an apical-to-basal direction in normal TECs, declines with increasing hydraulic pressure until a stall pressure is reached. Moreover, the researchers show that TECs change their gene expression profiles and spatial arrangements of ion exchangers in response to changes in pressure.
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Choudhury, M. I. et al. Kidney epithelial cells are active mechano-biological fluid pumps. Nat. Commun. 13, 2317 (2022)
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Allison, S.J. Important roles of mechanical force and hydraulic pressure in kidney function. Nat Rev Nephrol 18, 413 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-022-00593-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-022-00593-w