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Transport Characteristics of Urea Transporter-B

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Urea Transporters

Part of the book series: Subcellular Biochemistry ((SCBI,volume 73))

Abstract

UT-B represents the major urea transporter in erythrocytes, in addition to being expressed in kidney descending vasa recta, brain, spleen, ureter, bladder, and testis. Expression of urea transporter UT-B confers high urea permeability to mammalian erythrocytes. Erythrocyte membranes are also permeable to various urea analogues, suggesting common transport pathways for urea and structurally similar solutes. UT-B is highly permeable to urea and the chemical analogues formamide, acetamide, methylurea, methylformamide, ammonium carbamate, and acrylamide, each with a Ps > 5.0 × 10−6 cm/s at 10 °C. The amides formamide, acetamide, acrylamide, and butyramide efficiently diffuse across lipid bilayers. The urea analogues dimethylurea, acryalmide, methylurea, thiourea, and methylformamide inhibit UT-B-mediated urea transport by >60 % by a pore-blocking mechanism. UT-B is also a water channel in erythrocytes and has a single-channel water permeability that is similar to aquaporin-1. Whether UT-B is an NH3 channel still needs further study. Urea permeability (Purea) in erythrocytes differs between different mammals. Carnivores (dog, fox, cat) exhibit high Purea. In contrast, herbivores (cow, donkey, sheep) show much lower Purea. Erythrocyte Purea in human and pig (omnivores) was intermediate. Rodents and lagomorphs (mouse, rat, rabbit) have Purea intermediate between carnivores and omnivores. Birds that do not excrete urea and do not express UT-B in their erythrocytes have very low values. In contrast to Purea, water permeability is relatively similar in all mammals studied. This chapter will provide information about the transporter characteristics of UT-B.

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Acknowledgments

Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China grants 30500171, 30870921, 31200869, 81261160507, and 81170632, Drug Discovery Program grant 2009ZX09301-010-30, the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education 20100001110047, the 111 project, International Science and Technology Cooperation Program of China 2012DFA11070.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Sciences, Ministry of Education, Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China

    Baoxue Yang

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  1. Baoxue Yang
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Correspondence to Baoxue Yang .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Basic Medical Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Peking University, Beijing, China

    Baoxue Yang

  2. Renal Division, Department of Medicine and Department of Physiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Jeff M. Sands

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Yang, B. (2014). Transport Characteristics of Urea Transporter-B. In: Yang, B., Sands, J. (eds) Urea Transporters. Subcellular Biochemistry, vol 73. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9343-8_8

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