Understanding how the kidney helps to regulate blood pressure

The role of dietary potassium in regulating salt transport across the DCT in the kidney

The control of sodium and potassium salts in the body is important for regulating blood pressure. This balance is regulated in a special part of the kidneys called the distal convoluted tubule, or DCT. However, the exact mechanism used by the kidney to achieve this control is unknown. Recently, it was suggested that individual DCT cells control adjust the transport of salt in and out of the cell by sensing the level of sodium, through a group of molecules called WNK. It is possible that changes in chloride levels in the cell can be sensed by WNK and communicated through a pathway involving three molecules - WNK4, SPAK and NCC. In this project, Dr O’Shaughnessy and his team will test this theory out in cells grown in the lab, to see if the DCT depends on WNK4 to control the transport of salt. If so, this would help us to understand how the kidney carefully balances the levels of sodium and potassium in the body, to ultimately control our blood pressure. This work also raises the possibility of developing a new group of treatments to prevent or treat high blood pressure by targeting the WNK4 molecule.