Article Review

Ion transporting epithelia are involved in the maintenance of osmotic homeostasis by regulating ion exchange and acid-base balance of the body fluids of an organism. A specialized cell type, called ionocyte or mitochondria-rich cell, selectively transports ions against a concentration gradient. These cells can be found in a variety of organs including the kidneys of amniotes, the urinary system and the skin of amphibia as well as in the gills and the skin of teleost fish. The main characteristics of ionocytes are a high abundance of mitochondria and a large number of apical microvilli that highly express ATPases, mainly Na+/K+-ATPases ...