ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the data that support them, especially with regard to the cytoskeleton. Most studies on cell volume regulation have focused on examining the recovery of cell volume after an osmotic or chemical perturbation. Although actin filaments are found throughout the cytoplasm, the majority of F-actin is concentrated in distinct domains within the cell. Most of the actin is in the cortical cytoplasm in close association with the cell membrane. A key component in volume regulation may include “resistive” elements associated with the cell membrane. The cortical cytoskeleton, linked to the cell membrane via integral proteins, may play a role in providing resistance and, thus, regulate the degree of swelling under pathophysiological conditions where normal operation of pump and leak pathways are inhibited. Van Rossum and co-workers have proposed an alternative model for the actin cytoskeleton in regulating cell volume.
