Renal Ca2+ and Water Handling in Response to Calcium Sensing Receptor Signaling: Physiopathological Aspects and Role of CaSR-Regulated microRNAs

Calcium (Ca2+) is a universal and vital intracellular messenger involved in a diverse range of cellular and biological processes. Changes in the concentration of extracellular Ca2+ can disrupt the normal cellular activities and the physiological function of these systems. The calcium sensing receptor (CaSR) is a unique G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) activated by extracellular Ca2+ and by other physiological cations, aminoacids, and polyamines. CaSR is the main controller of the extracellular Ca2+ homeostatic system by regulating parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion and, in turn, Ca2+ absorption and resorption. Recent advances highlight novel signaling pathways activated by CaSR signaling involving the regulation of microRNAs (miRNAs). miRNAs are naturally-occurring small non-coding RNAs that regulate post-transcriptional gene expression and are involved in several diseases. We previously described that high luminal Ca2+ in the renal collecting duct attenuates short-term vasopressin-induced aquaporin-2 (AQP2) trafficking through CaSR activation. Moreover, we demonstrated that CaSR signaling reduces AQP2 abundance via AQP2-targeting miRNA-137. This review summarizes the recent data related to CaSR-regulated miRNAs signaling pathways in the kidney.