Endocrine regulation of ion transport in the avian lower intestine

Gary Laverty, Vibeke Sødring Elbrønd, Sighvatur S. Árnason, Erik Skadhauge

    15 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The lower intestine (colon and coprodeum) of the domestic fowl maintains a very active, transporting epithelium, with a microvillus brush border, columnar epithelial cells, and a variety of transport systems. The colon of normal or high salt-acclimated hens expresses sodium-linked glucose and amino acid cotransporters, while the coprodeum is relatively inactive. Following acclimation to low salt diets, however, both colon and coprodeum shift to a pattern of high expression of electrogenic sodium channels, and the colonic cotransporter activity is simultaneously downregulated. These changes in the transport patterns seem to be regulated, at least in part, by aldosterone. Our recent work with this tissue has focused on whether aldosterone alone can account for the low salt pattern of transport. Other work has looked at the changes in morphology and in proportions of cell types that occur during chronic acclimation to high or low salt diets, and on a cAMP-activated chloride secretion pathway. Recent findings suggesting effects of other hormones on lower intestinal transport are also presented.
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalGeneral and Comparative Endocrinology
    Volume147
    Issue number1
    Pages (from-to)70-77
    Number of pages8
    ISSN0016-6480
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2006

    Keywords

    • Former LIFE faculty
    • Aldosterone
    • Low and high salt diets
    • Hen lower intestine
    • Arginine vasotocin
    • Prolactin
    • Ion transport
    • Colon
    • Coprodeum
    • Avian intestine

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