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Emerging Insights into the Purinergic Signaling in Renal, Pulmonary and Microvascular Physiology and Pathophysiology
Sponsored by APS Renal Section

Pharmacological, electrophysiological, functional and molecular studies have begun to unravel autocrine and/or paracrine signaling elicited by extracellular nucleotides in the regulation of glomerular, tubular and microvascular functions in the kidney. In the lung and airways, similarly elegant studies are establishing the roles of extracellular nucleotides in the secretion of electrolytes, mucin and surfactant phospholipids. In recent years rapid progress has been made in our understanding of the physiology of purinergic signaling as well as the pathophysiological implications of dysregulated purinergic signaling in multiple diseases.

For basic scientists and physiologists, this multidisciplinary symposium presents physiological roles of purinergic signaling in the following arenas: (1) renal and airway epithelial ion and/or water transport; (2) the role of ductal epithelial cell’s apical central cilium in flow response and purinergic signaling; (3) luminal receptors for locally released mediators within microenvironments; and (4) interactions of purinergics with prostanoids and vasopressin in the collecting duct water and sodium absorption. For clinical scientists interested in pathophysiology, this symposium presents emerging concepts on the role of purinergic signaling in diverse disease conditions. These include: (1) alterations that occur in renal hemodynamics, autoregulatory responses, and microvascular smooth muscle signaling in hypertension; (2) pathophysiology of polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and the etiology of severe hypertension in ARPKD; (3) role of purinergic signaling in water balance disorders and vasopressin-excess states, and in acquired nephrogenic diabetes insipidus; and (4) dysregulation of salt and chloride transport in cystic fibrosis.

Concepts and information generated by experimentation at multiple levels using multiple approaches that address key issues in purinergic physiology and pathophysiology will be presented. Furthermore, this symposium will present future directions in purinergic research, such as development of specific agonists and/or antagonists to receptors, specific inhibitors of ecto-nucleotidases, or scavengers of extracellular nucleotides, for therapeutic modulation of purinergic signaling in specific disease conditions.