Sepenta Shirvan

Keywords renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system PIEZO2 mechanotransduction ion channel kidney mesangial cell juxtaglomerular granular cell blood volume renin calcium Introduction The scientist Homer Smith wrote, “our kidneys constitute the major foundation of our physiological freedom.”1 Vertebrate animals control their blood volume through feedback loops spanning the renal, nervous, and cardiovascular systems.

Keywords scratch itch LHb asymmetric brain function TRAP labeling optogenetics chemogenetics NP1 afferent Piezo2 Results Itch is defined by its evolutionarily conserved behavioral response, scratching.

Abstract The kidneys tightly control the composition of our internal environment to maintain homeostasis in the face of external variability. The regulation of blood volume begins in the kidneys and is essential for vertebrate life in terrestrial environments where salt and water availability are unpredictable. Renin synthesis and release by juxtaglomerular granular cells of the kidney is the rate-limiting step in a hormonal cascade that modulates blood volume, filtration, and salt balance.