ABSTRACT
First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Biology Open, helping researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Neydiana Pina-Lopes is first author on ‘ Ammonia transport mediated by urea transporter A isoforms’, published in BiO. Neydiana conducted the research described in this article while a Master's student in Raif Musa-Aziz's lab at the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Brazil. She is now a PhD candidate in the lab of Maria Oliveira de Souza at Laboratory of renal pathophysiology at the same institute, focusing on renal pathophysiology, with an emphasis on identifying injury biomarkers and elucidating mechanisms underlying the progression of chronic kidney disease.
Neydiana Pina-Lopes
Describe your scientific journey and your current research focus
My interest in physiology began with a curiosity about how organs and systems function together in a coordinated and balanced way. Among these, I was particularly fascinated by the kidney's complex and essential role in maintaining the body's homeostasis. During my undergraduate studies and later throughout my Master's degree, I had the opportunity to become involved in research exploring membrane transporters and their role in kidney physiology. These experiences helped me build an understanding of kidney function and gave me insight into the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying physiological processes. Currently, my research focuses on renal pathophysiology, with a specific emphasis on the identification of biomarkers associated with kidney injury and understanding how they contribute to the progression of chronic kidney disease, particularly in the development of renal fibrosis. I believe that gaining a deeper understanding of both normal renal function and the mechanisms underlying disease can help improve diagnostics and develop more effective treatments.
Who or what inspired you to become a scientist?
What inspired me to pursue a career in science was my curiosity and the feeling that, through research, I could contribute to the improvement of people's lives. I've always been driven by the need to understand how things work and to find ways to apply that knowledge in meaningful ways.
How would you explain the main finding of your paper?
Our kidneys help to keep the body healthy by getting rid of waste products and maintaining the right amount of water, salt, and acidity in the body. One important waste product they get rid of is urea, which is made when the body breaks down protein from food. To get rid of urea, the kidneys use special helper proteins that move it through kidney cells and into the urine. These proteins are called urea transporters or UTs, which move urea through kidney cells and into urine.
In my research, I found that these transporters do not only move urea but also help the body to save water by producing concentrated urine, and they transport ammonia (NH₃), another waste product the body needs to eliminate to help control acid levels. Even more interesting, I found that all urea, water, and ammonia pass through the same tiny pathway in the UT proteins.
However, this process only works properly when two specific tiny building blocks, called threonines, are present in the right place inside the channel. When I replaced these threonines with another building block, called valine, the transporters stopped working properly. This showed that the two threonines are essential for moving all three substances.
Thus, these findings help explain how urea transporters play a key role not just in getting rid of waste, but also in helping the body save water, especially during dehydration, and eliminate extra acid (as NH+) during conditions like acidosis. By improving our understanding of how the urea transporters move water and remove excess acid, this research could one day help support new ways to treat kidney problems and improve health.
A better understanding of these mechanisms could lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets for kidney disorders
What are the potential implications of this finding for your field of research?
The discovery of additional roles for urea transporters, such as the transport of water and ammonia, offers deeper insights into how the kidney handles these solutes and suggests that alterations in these transporters may contribute to kidney diseases. A better understanding of these mechanisms could lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets for kidney disorders.
Which part of this research project was the most rewarding?
The first time I observed the surface pH experiments in action – watching the real-time pH changes as we switch the solutions and saw the transporters respond – it was incredibly fascinating. It transformed an abstract hypothesis into something real, showing that UT could transport NH3.
What do you enjoy most about being an early-career researcher?
One of the things I enjoy the most is the opportunity to work with and learn from experts in my field, along with the almost endless options for paths I can pursue.
What piece of advice would you give to the next generation of researchers?
Everyone starts from scratch, and the only reason they've reached where they are now is that, despite their fears or doubts, they kept going. So, don't let the fear of the unknown hold you back.
What's next for you?
I'm focused on completing my PhD and moving into the post-doctoral phase to further my growth as a scientist. My goal is to deepen my understanding of human physiology while gaining more independence in my research.
Neydiana Pina-Lopes's contact details: Laboratory of Renal Pathophysiology. Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Brazil.
E-mail: [email protected]
