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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Nov 16.
Published in final edited form as: Molecules. 2017 May 3;22(5):E729. doi: 10.3390/molecules22050729

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Diagram showing the various effects as well as the different pathways activated by ouabain in ADPKD cells. Ouabain induced and NKA mediated signaling controls ADPKD cell proliferation via the Src-MEK-ERK pathway and cell death via stimulating the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. This effect of ouabain creates a disbalance that favors cell growth, one of the hallmarks of ADPKD cystogenesis. In addition, ouabain stimulates the cAMP dependent secretion of Cl− in the cells by activating the CFTR. This, along with a small reduction in NKA function that lessens Na+ reabsorption at the basolateral membrane of the cells, favors epithelial secretion over reabsorption, which helps maintain cyst growth. Also, ouabain induces cell de-differentiation and changes in the expression of adhesion proteins in ADPKD cells, via intracellular pathways that are not yet well characterized. O, ouabain, (α and β) subunits of the Na-K-ATPase. See the text for additional definitions.