Hypertonicity induced changes in gene expression in mpkCCD cells and the contribution of NFAT5 activity on these changes.

The factors that control these differences are not fully addressed. The hypertonic environment leads to activation of the nuclear factor of activated T-cells 5 (NFAT5), which regulates the expression of osmoprotective genes.

While NFAT5 function under hypertonic conditions has been extensively studied, its contribution to basal gene 28 regulation remains incompletely understood. We used murine principal kidney cortical collecting duct (mpkCCD) cells and induced functional deletion of NFAT5 and performed gene expression profiling to identify genes that are differentially expressed under isotonic and hypertonic cell culture conditions. Hypertonic stress induced extensive transcriptional changes in control cells, which were markedly altered in NFAT5-deficient cells.