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The WNK signaling pathway and salt-sensitive hypertension

Hypertension Research volume 43, pages 733–743 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

The distal nephron of the kidney has a central role in sodium and fluid homeostasis, and disruption of this homeostasis due to mutations of with-no-lysine kinase 1 (WNK1), WNK4, Kelch-like 3 (KLHL3), or Cullin 3 (CUL3) causes pseudohypoaldosteronism type II (PHAII), an inherited hypertensive disease. WNK1 and WNK4 activate the NaCl cotransporter (NCC) at the distal convoluted tubule through oxidative stress-responsive gene 1 (OSR1)/Ste20-related proline–alanine-rich kinase (SPAK), constituting the WNK–OSR1/SPAK–NCC phosphorylation cascade. The level of WNK protein is regulated through degradation by the CUL3–KLHL3 E3 ligase complex. In the normal state, the activity of WNK signaling in the kidney is physiologically regulated by sodium intake to maintain sodium homeostasis in the body. In patients with PHAII, however, because of the defective degradation of WNK kinases, NCC is constitutively active and not properly suppressed by a high salt diet, leading to abnormally increased salt reabsorption and salt-sensitive hypertension. Importantly, recent studies have demonstrated that potassium intake, insulin, and TNFα are also physiological regulators of WNK signaling, suggesting that they contribute to the salt-sensitive hypertension associated with a low potassium diet, metabolic syndrome, and chronic kidney disease, respectively. Moreover, emerging evidence suggests that WNK signaling also has some unique roles in metabolic, cardiovascular, and immunological organs. Here, we review the recent literature and discuss the molecular mechanisms of the WNK signaling pathway and its potential as a therapeutic target.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) [Grant Numbers: 25221306–00, 19H01049, 18K19534, 16H05314, and 19H03672], a Health Labor Science Research Grant from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, AMED under Grant Number JP18ek0109304, and grants from the Yukiko Ishibashi Foundation and the Salt Science Research Foundation (1925).

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  1. Department of Nephrology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan

    Taisuke Furusho, Shinichi Uchida & Eisei Sohara

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Furusho, T., Uchida, S. & Sohara, E. The WNK signaling pathway and salt-sensitive hypertension. Hypertens Res 43, 733–743 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-020-0437-x

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