Functional transformation of gastric parietal cells and intracellular trafficking of ion channels/transporters in the apical canalicular membrane associated with acid secretion

Abstract

The parietal cell of the gastric gland is a highly differentiated cell responsible for the gastric hydrochloric acid secretion into the lumen of the stomach. In response to stimulation of acid secretion, the parietal cells undergo well-characterized morphological transformations to recruit H +/K+-ATPase from the cytoplasmic tubulovesicles to the apical canalicular membrane. Besides H+ extrusion via H +/K+-ATPase, Cl- efflux and K+ recycling across the apical canalicular membrane are necessary via chloride and potassium channels/transporters, respectively. In the last decade, a number of molecular candidates for the Cl- efflux and K+ recycling have been identified in the apical canalicular membrane of the parietal cell. This review focuses on the functional transformation of gastric parietal cells and intracellular trafficking of ion channels/transporters expressed in the apical canalicular membrane associated with gastric acid secretion. © 2011 Pharmaceutical Society of Japan.