The effect of vasopressin on the cytoskeleton of the epithelial cell

Vasopressin (AVP) promotes the fusion of vesicles containing water channels with the apical membrane of receptor cells in the amphibian bladder and mammalian kidney. Fusion is accompanied by depolymerization of the actin cytoskeleton. In this review, we present the evidence for actin depolymerization by AVP in the whole cell, and the application of confocal microscopy and immunogold electron microscopy in localizing depolymerization to the apical region of the receptor cell.