INTEGRATED REGULATION OF INTESTINAL EPITHELIAL TRANSPORT - INTERCELLULAR AND INTRACELLULAR PATHWAYS

The intestinal epithelium is an important site of active solute transp ort processes. Such processes include the secretion of electrolytes in to the lumen, predominantly chloride and bicarbonate. These secretory mechanisms subserve a variety of functions, both physiological and pat hophysiological, including maintenance of the fluidity of intestinal c ontents and mucosal defense. Both chloride and bicarbonate secretion a re the subject of integrated regulatory mechanisms at both the interce llular and intracellular levels. The goal of this article is to discus s data that exemplify these two levels of regulation, which have been the subject of research in my laboratory. It is likely that some of th ese principles are also broadly applicable to secretory epithelial cel ls outside of the intestinal tract, such as those in the airway I also discuss the ways in which we believe these regulatory mechanisms are involved not only in intestinal physiology but also perhaps in the pat hogenesis of specific disease states.