Researchers link immune system to salt-sensitive hypertension in CKD

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and is linked to salt-sensitive hypertension. Researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University have now found that pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α triggers salt-sensitive hypertension in CKD patients via the WNK-SPAK-NCC pathway by inhibiting transcription of NEDD4-2, an E3 ligase that regulates WNK1 protein abundance. Understanding this mechanism provides new targets for future salt-sensitive hypertension therapies.