This article shows how the presence of NHE2 in the apex of the macula densa (MD) cells can be involved in the sensing of low salt content in the tubular fluid.

The signal that would determine the ultimate release of the renin by the juxtaglomerular (JG) cells could be MD cell shrinkage. NHE2 is involved in the transport of sodium into the intracellular space of the MD cells. When NHE2 was absent (knockout mice), renin was increased in the renal tissues of those mice. When NHE2 was absent, PGE2 synthase was increased. This would mean, more PGE2 is produced to stimulate JG cells for renin production.

Credits

Renal Corpuscle Image. 2019. Downloaded under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License from Wikimedia Commons. Author: Shypoetess. No changes were made.

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