Hormonal signaling and regulation of salt and water transport in the collecting duct.

The regulation of transport in the collecting duct is under multi-hormonal control. Vasopressin stimulates water and cation transport, primarily through a V2/Gs-coupled receptor that activates adenylyl cyclase, which raises cAMP. These stimulatory effects are damped by the action of several hormones, including vasopressin itself, which activate inhibitory G proteins, stimulate phospholipid breakdown, increase prostaglandin production, raise intracellular Ca2+, activate protein kinase C, stimulate tyrosine kinases, and raise cGMP. These inhibitory signals interact with the stimulatory, cAMP-coupled signaling pathway at multiple levels. The balance between these pathways controls net salt and water transport in the collecting duct.