The protease corin regulates electrolyte homeostasis in eccrine sweat glands

PLoS Biol. 2021 Feb 16;19(2):e3001090. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001090. eCollection 2021 Feb.

Abstract

Sweating is a basic skin function in body temperature control. In sweat glands, salt excretion and reabsorption are regulated to avoid electrolyte imbalance. To date, the mechanism underlying such regulation is not fully understood. Corin is a transmembrane protease that activates atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), a cardiac hormone essential for normal blood volume and pressure. Here, we report an unexpected role of corin in sweat glands to promote sweat and salt excretion in regulating electrolyte homeostasis. In human and mouse eccrine sweat glands, corin and ANP are expressed in the luminal epithelial cells. In corin-deficient mice on normal- and high-salt diets, sweat and salt excretion is reduced. This phenotype is associated with enhanced epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) activity that mediates Na+ and water reabsorption. Treatment of amiloride, an ENaC inhibitor, normalizes sweat and salt excretion in corin-deficient mice. Moreover, treatment of aldosterone decreases sweat and salt excretion in wild-type (WT), but not corin-deficient, mice. These results reveal an important regulatory function of corin in eccrine sweat glands to promote sweat and salt excretion.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Atrial Natriuretic Factor / metabolism
  • Eccrine Glands / metabolism
  • Eccrine Glands / physiology*
  • Electrolytes / metabolism
  • Hair Follicle / metabolism
  • Homeostasis / physiology
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Serine Endopeptidases / genetics
  • Serine Endopeptidases / metabolism*
  • Sodium Chloride / metabolism*
  • Sweat / chemistry
  • Water / metabolism

Substances

  • Electrolytes
  • Water
  • Sodium Chloride
  • Atrial Natriuretic Factor
  • CORIN protein, human
  • Corin protein, mouse
  • Serine Endopeptidases

Grants and funding

This work was supported in part by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81873840, 81570457 to N.D. and 31500636 to T.Z.) and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutes to Soochow University. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.