Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator in the endolymphatic sac of the rat

摘要

Objective: Na+ and Cl- are dominant ions in the endolymphatic fluid in the endolymphatic sac and are important for volume regulation in the endolymphatic sac. An epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) and other Na+ transporters have been identified in the endolymphatic sac epithelia, and they are involved in the regulation of endolymph. Although the presence of Cl- channels in the endolymphatic sac epithelia has been speculated, no Cl- channels have been identified. In this study, we confirmed the expression of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) in the endolymphatic sac by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and by immunohistochemical staining.