With aging the kidney exhibits progressive deterioration, with a decrease in renal function. Most of the filtered Na+ is actively reabsorbed in the proximal tubules through different transporters located in apical membrane. This process is possible because basolateral Na+/K+-ATP-ase generates electrochemical conditions necessary for energetically favorable Na+ transport. The a-subunit is the catalytic domain of Na+/K+-ATP-ase. There are three isoforms of the a/subunit present in rat kidney. The present study was undertaken to examine the expression pattern of rat a-Na+/K+-ATP-ase during senescence. We tested the impact of aging on mRNA expression of a-Na+/K+-ATP-ase in cortex and medulla of aged Wistar rats. We observed a significant expression decrease in mRNA levels and a possible change of isoform in the cortex of aged animals. These expression changes observed for a subunit could be contributing to affect the renal function in conditions of water and salt stress.
Keywords: aging; kidney; sodium-potassium-exchanging ATPase.