[3H]ouabain binding during the monolayer organization and cell cycle in MDCK cells

The polarized expression of Na+,K+-ATPase in epithelia depends on the association between beta-subunits located in neighboring cells

The polarized distribution of Na+,K+-ATPase plays a paramount physiological role, because either directly or through coupling with co- and countertransporters, it is responsible for the net movement of, for example, glucose, amino acids, Ca2+, K+, Cl-, and CO3H- across the whole epithelium. We report here that the beta-subunit is a key factor in the polarized distribution of this enzyme. 1) Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells (epithelial from dog kidney) express the Na+,K+-ATPase over the lateral side, but not on the basal and apical domains, as if the contact with a neighboring cell were crucial for the specific membrane location of this enzyme. 2) MDCK cells cocultured with other epithelial types (derived from human, cat, dog, pig, monkey, rabbit, mouse, hamster, and rat) express the enzyme in all (100%) homotypic MDCK/MDCK borders but rarely in heterotypic ones. 3) Although MDCK cells never express Na+,K+-ATPase at contacts with Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, they do when CHO cells are transfected with beta1-subunit from the dog kidney (CHO-beta). 4) This may be attributed to the adhesive property of the beta1-subunit, because an aggregation assay using CHO (mock-transfected) and CHO-beta cells shows that the expression of dog beta1-subunit in the plasma membrane does increase adhesiveness. 5) This adhesiveness does not involve adherens or tight junctions. 6) Transfection of beta1-subunit forces CHO-beta cells to coexpress endogenous alpha-subunit. Together, our results indicate that MDCK cells express Na+,K+-ATPase at a given border provided the contacting cell expresses the dog beta1-subunit. The cell-cell interaction thus established would suffice to account for the polarized expression and positioning of Na+,K+-ATPase in epithelial cells.

Cell Adhesion, Polarity, and Epithelia in the Dawn of Metazoans

Transporting epithelia posed formidable conundrums right from the moment that Du Bois Raymond discovered their asymmetric behavior, a century and a half ago. It took a century and a half to start unraveling the mechanisms of occluding junctions and polarity, but we now face another puzzle: lest its cells died in minutes, the first high metazoa (i.e., higher than a sponge) needed a transporting epithelium, but a transporting epithelium is an incredibly improbable combination of occluding junctions and cell polarity. How could these coincide in the same individual organism and within minutes? We review occluding junctions (tight and septate) as well as the polarized distribution of Na+-K+-ATPase both at the molecular and the cell level. Junctions and polarity depend on hosts of molecular species and cellular processes, which are briefly reviewed whenever they are suspected to have played a role in the dawn of epithelia and metazoan. We come to the conclusion that most of the molecules needed were already present in early protozoan and discuss a few plausible alternatives to solve the riddle described above.

Membrane expansion increases endocytosis rate during mitosis

Mitosis in mammalian cells is accompanied by a dramatic inhibition of endocytosis. We have found that the addition of amphyphilic compounds to metaphase cells increases the endocytosis rate even to interphase levels. Detergents and solvents all increased endocytosis rate, and the extent of increase was in direct proportion to the concentration added. Although the compounds could produce a variety of different effects, we have found a strong correlation with a physical alteration in the membrane tension as measured by the laser tweezers. Plasma membrane tethers formed by latex beads pull back on the beads with a force that was related to the in-plane bilayer tension and membrane- cytoskeletal adhesion. We found that as cells enter mitosis, the membrane tension rises as the endocytosis rate decreases; and as cells exited mitosis, the endocytosis rate increased as the membrane tension decreased. The addition of amphyphilic compounds decreased membrane tension and increased the endocytosis rate. With the detergent, deoxycholate, the endocytosis rate was restored to interphase levels when the membrane tension was restored to interphase levels. Although biochemical factors are clearly involved in the alterations in mitosis, we suggest that endocytosis is blocked primarily by the increase in apparent plasma membrane tension. Higher tensions inhibit both the binding of the endocytic complex to the membrane and mechanical deformation of the membrane during invagination. We suggest that membrane tension is an important regulator of the endocytosis rate and alteration of tension is sufficient to modify endocytosis rates during mitosis. Further, we postulate that the rise in membrane tension causes cell rounding and the inhibition of motility, characteristic of mitosis.

Phenotypic effects of aldosterone and dexamethasone in a SV40-transformed mammalian cortical ascending limb cell line exhibiting mineralocorticoid receptors

We have analyzed the functional and morphological effects of corticosteroid hormones in a SV40-transformed rabbit cortical-ascending-limb (CAL) cell line (RC.SV2, Vandewalle et al., 1989) having mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors (Rafestin-Oblin et al., 1993). Both aldosterone and dexamethasone (5 x 10(-8) M) induced a marked increase in (3H)ouabain binding (used to quantify membrane Na(+)-K+ ATPase) detectable as early as 6 hours and maximal at 24 hours (+56-57%) (due to a 1.6-1.8-fold increase in cell membrane binding sites without Kd alteration), and significantly augmented the ouabain-sensitive component of Rb+ influx. Triiodothyronine (T3, 10(-9) M) also stimulated ouabain binding by 21% but was not permissive for steroid action, whereas 5 micrograms/ml insulin had no effect. Both steroid hormones, T3 and insulin induced the formation of domes that was tightly correlated with ouabain binding (r = 0.949) except for insulin. The effects of aldosterone and dexamethasone on cell monolayers and cell ultrastructure were, however, strikingly different as aldosterone induced a marked amplification of basolateral areas with appearance of large intercellular spaces, reminiscent of the changes observed in deoxycorticosterone-treated rats, whereas dexamethasone predominantly influenced cell height. This discrepancy might be due to specific occupancy of MR and GR by aldosterone and dexamethasone, respectively, and/or to nongenomic effects of dexamethasone. We have thus characterized a cell culture model making it possible to analyze the actions of mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid hormones in the mammalian kidney.

Digitalis-like activity in human plasma: relation to blood pressure and sodium balance

PURPOSE

On the assumption that renal tubular cells are more important as the target cells for a natriuretic factor than blood cells, we used a well-characterized cultured renal tubular cell line, Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK), cells to monitor the circulating digitalis-like factor in human plasma and examine its role in the regulation of blood pressure and sodium balance.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

We investigated the effects of plasma on binding of radioactive ouabain to monolayered MDCK cells in order to determine the level of a circulating digitalis-like factor. First, we measured specific 3H-ouabain binding to MDCK cells in the presence of plasma from 71 outpatients (34 normotensive subjects and 37 hypertensive patients) after incubation for 4 hours. Second, we measured specific 3H-ouabain binding after incubation of cells with plasma from 16 hospitalized subjects (eight normotensive subjects and eight hypertensive patients) receiving low and high sodium diets.

RESULTS

In Study 1, ouabain binding was lower by 30% with plasma from hypertensive patients than with plasma from normotensive subjects (p less than 0.01). There was a significant negative correlation between individual subject's systolic or mean blood pressure and ouabain binding (r = -0.34, p less than 0.01 or r = -0.29, p less than 0.01). In Study 2, ouabain binding was also significantly reduced by 25% in the presence of plasma from hypertensive subjects as compared with plasma from normotensive subjects irrespective of sodium intake (p less than 0.01). A significant negative correlation was also found for all subjects between either systolic, diastolic, or mean blood pressure and ouabain binding (r = -0.58, p less than 0.01, r = -0.51, p less than 0.01, or r = -0.55, p less than 0.01, respectively). With the changes from low to high sodium intake, there was a corresponding decrease in ouabain binding (p less than 0.01) and an increase in sodium excretion (p less than 0.01). A significant negative correlation was observed between these two parameters (r = -0.47, p less than 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that a circulating digitalis-like factor, which may act on renal tubular cells as the ouabain-displacing compound, is increased in patients with essential hypertension and also demonstrate that plasma levels may be influenced by changes in dietary sodium intake.

Reduction of adenine nucleotide content of clone 4 MDCK cells: effects on multiplication, protein synthesis, and morphology

The antitumor agent hadacidin (N-formyl-hydroxyamino-acetic acid), at 4 mM, inhibited the multiplication of clone 4 Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells within 24 hr. Growth resumed rapidly upon replacement of hadacidin with aspartate, an observation consistent with the drug's action as a competitive inhibitor of adenylosuccinate synthetase, an enzyme in adenine nucleotide biosynthesis. Data indicate that the drug-treated cells were arrested in S phase of the cell cycle. Accompanying inhibition of multiplication was a 16-fold increase in the area occupied by the cells and a refractoriness to release by treatment with trypsin. None of these changes occurred when 0.5 mM adenosine was included in the incubation mixture containing the inhibitor. Hadacidin decreased the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) content of the cells as well as the rate at which 3H-leucine was incorporated into protein. In the presence of 1 mM dibutyryl cAMP and theophylline, the drug had no effect on cell division and protein synthesis. The data suggest that, in clone 4 MDCK cells, the effects of hadacidin are mediated by diminishing the level of cAMP.

Formation of the apical pole of epithelial (Madin-Darby canine kidney) cells: polarity of an apical protein is independent of tight junctions while segregation of a basolateral marker requires cell-cell interactions

The time course of development of polarity of an apical (184-kD) and a basolateral (63-kD) plasma membrane protein of Madin-Darby canine kidney cells was followed using semiquantitative immunofluorescence on semithin (approximately 0.5-micron) frozen sections and monoclonal antibody probes. The 184-kD protein became highly polarized to the apical pole within the initial 24 h both in normal medium and in 1-5 microM Ca2+, which results in well-spread, dome-shaped cells, lacking tight junctions and other lateral membrane interactions. In contrast, the basolateral 63-kD membrane protein developed full polarity only after incubation in normal Ca2+ concentrations for greater than 72 h, a time much longer than that required for the formation of tight junctions (approximately 18 h) and failed to polarize in 1-5 microM Ca2+. These results demonstrate that intradomain restriction mechanisms independent of tight junctions, such as self-aggregation or specific interactions with the submembrane cytoskeleton, participate in the regionalization of at least some epithelial plasma membrane proteins. The full operation of these mechanisms depends on the presence of normal cell-cell interactions in the case of the basolateral 63-kD antigen but not in the case of the apical 184-kD protein.

Redistribution of Na-K-ATPase in the dystrophic rat retinal pigment epithelium

Our previous studies have shown that a breakdown in tight junctions in the dystrophic retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) of Royal College of Surgeons' rats is accompanied by changes in intramembrane structure which suggest a redistribution of intramembrane particles. We have now investigated, using the p-nitrophenyl phosphate technique, the possibility that a specific membrane protein, Na-K-ATPase, is redistributed as tight junctions break down in the dystrophic RPE. In the normal RPE, Na-K-ATPase activity is restricted to the apical membrane. Junctional membranes and membranes around phagosomes are free of enzyme activity, suggesting a segregation of the transport enzyme from the junctional and phagocytic membrane. In the dystrophic RPE, prior to changes in tight junctions, enzyme activity is restricted to the apical membrane. During the initial stages of junctional breakdown, junctional membranes and membranes around cytoplasmic inclusions are also labelled. As the breakdown progresses, Na-K-ATPase activity is often present laterally and basolaterally and is sometimes absent apically. Enzyme activity is seen basally only where RPE cells have detached from Bruch's membrane and are superimposed over each other. These changes suggest that Na-K-ATPase redistributes during junctional breakdown, but that attachments between the RPE and Bruch's membrane may restrict the redistribution. The apparent reduction of enzyme activity apically suggests that active transport across the dystrophic RPE may be reduced as the tight junctions break down.

Regulation of Na+,K+-ATPase activity in MDCK kidney epithelial cell cultures: role of growth state, cyclic AMP, and chemical inducers of dome formation and differentiation

Na+,K+-ATPase activity was monitored in MDCK kidney epithelial cell monolayers and in cell extracts as a function of cell density, cAMP elevation, and exposure to hexamethylene bisacetamide (HMBA) and dimethylsulfoxide (Me2SO). Ouabain-sensitive Na+,K+-ATPase and 86Rb+ uptake activities, and the number of [3H]-ouabain binding sites were maximal in subconfluent cultures and decreased accompanying the development of a confluent monolayer. A sodium pump density of 8 X 10(7) pumps/cell was estimated for subconfluent cultures, declining to 9 X 10(5) pumps/cell at confluence. Previous studies have shown that dibutyryl cyclic AMP (Bt2cAMP), 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine (IBMX), or the differentiation inducers HMBA and Me2SO, which also caused cAMP elevation, all stimulated dome formation, a visible manifestation of active transepithelial Na+ and water transport (Lever, 1979). In the present study, all of these inducers were found to elevate intracellular Na+ content, implicating this variable in control of induction of dome formation. Operationally, inducers could be divided into two classes. HMBA and Me2SO partially inhibited ouabain-sensitive 86Rb+ influx. Ouabain, at a concentration that caused partial sodium pump inhibition and increased intracellular Na+ content, was also effective as an inducer. The second class, exemplified by IBMX and Bt2cAMP caused a furosemide-sensitive increase in intracellular Na+ content. This class of inducers stimulated ouabain-sensitive 86Rb+ uptake, presumably by substrate effects due to increased Na+ levels. The Na+ or ATP activation of Na+,K+-ATPase activity assayed in cell-free extracts, the affinity of the transport system for Rb+ in intact cells and intracellular ATP levels were unchanged by inducer treatment. Elevation of intracellular Na+ concentration, either by cAMP-stimulated, furosemide-sensitive mechanisms or by partial inhibition of the sodium pump may stimulate the induction of dome formation in MDCK cells.

Studies on the development and maintenance of epithelial cell surface polarity with monoclonal antibodies

We examined epithelial cell surface polarity in subconfluent and confluent Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells with monoclonal antibodies directed against plasma membrane glycoproteins of 35,000, 50,000, and 60,000 mol wt. The cell surface distribution of these glycoproteins was studied by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy. At the ultrastructural level, the electron-dense reaction product localizing all three glycoproteins was determined to be uniformly distributed over the apical and basal cell surfaces of subconfluent MDCK cells as well as on the lateral surfaces between contacted cells; however, after formation of a confluent monolayer, these glycoproteins could only be localized on the basal-lateral plasma membrane. The development of cell surface polarity was followed by assessing glycoprotein distribution with immunofluorescence microscopy at selected time intervals during growth of MDCK cells to form a confluent monolayer. These results were correlated with transepithelial electrical resistance measurements of tight junction permeability and it was determined by immunofluorescence that polarized distributions of cell surface glycoproteins were established just after electrical resistance could be detected, but before the development of maximal resistance. Our observations provide evidence that intact tight junctions are required for the establishment of the apical and basal-lateral plasma membrane domains and that development of epithelial cell surface polarity is a continuous process.

Serum stimulates Na entry and the Na-K pump in quiescent cultures of epithelial cells (MDCK)

The growth of an epithelial canine kidney line (MDCK) was reversibly arrested by gradually lowering the serum concentration in the medium over a 3-day period. The cells were demonstrably quiescent by autoradiography after an additional 24 hours in serum-free media. Addition of fresh serum produced DNA synthesis after an 18-hour lag period. The quiescent cells then grew to confluency retaining their transport capacities as seen by the formation of "domes." This system allows for measurement of monovalent ion fluxes and its relationship to growth regulation. The addition of fresh serum to quiescent MDCK cells increased the uptake of 86Rb, a measure of Na-K pump activity. This stimulation was mediated by increased uptake of Na into the cells. Serum-stimulated DNA synthesis was blocked by the addition of ouabain in concentrations that inhibit the Na-K pump. Serum appears to stimulate growth in epithelial cells by increasing the amount of intracellular Na available to the Na-K pump. Monovalent ion transport may play a role in the regulation of epithelial cell proliferation.

Polar redistribution of Na+K+ATPase in aggregating MDCK cells

The distribution of Na+K+ATPase was examined immunoelectronmicroscopically along the plasma membranes of aggregating MDCK cells grown in tissue culture. Na+K+ATPase was localized with the use of affinity-purified antibodies employing the double-antibody immunoperoxidase technique. Na+K+ATPase-like immunoreactivity was uniformly distributed along the plasmalemma of cells grown in suspension. Once attached to the substratum, individual MDCK cells exhibited Na+K+ATPase immunoreactivity limited to the microvilli-laden mucosal surface. This exclusive mucosal distribution of Na+K+ATPase disappeared and a basolateral immunoreactivity became apparent once intercellular contacts and the formation of tight junctions occurred between neighboring cells. Thus, both cellular attachment to the substratum, and tight junction formation between aggregating MDCK cells are essential to the genesis of Na+K+ATPase polar distribution. These two events, however, appear to induce opposing distribution patterns for Na+K+ATPase.

Electrical properties of cultured epithelioid cells (MDCK)

This is a study of the intracellular electrical potential, membrane resistance, and capacity of MDCK cells (epithelioid of renal origin) cultured in monolayers on a collagen couch. These monolayers have a transepithelial resistance of 256 +/- 12 (22) ohm cm2 (mean +/- standard error, and number of observations), and the cells have 61.6 +/- 6.3 (92) M omega across their plasma membrane. The electrical capacity of the cells is 45.1 +/- 2.9 (63) pF and is much higher than expected for a cell of its size (diameter 14 micrometers, height 5 micrometers) and cannot be attributed to intercellular coupling, as no evidence of this type of connection was found in 20 pairs of neighboring cells. On the contrary, the high capacity is in keeping with previous studies using electron microscopy showing microvilli and a high degree of lateral infolding. The relationship between resistance and capacity was 1981 +/- 177 (61) omega . microF. The cells have an intracellular potential of -40.5 +/- 15 (120) mV. Yet the shape of the distribution curve suggests that the actual value may be somewhat higher (some -50 mV). The current/voltage curve of the distribution curve suggests that the actual value may be somewhat higher (some -50 mV). The current/voltage curve shows a marked asymmetry, and in some cells the voltage becomes time-dependent for large, depolarizing current pulses.

Permeability of retinal pigment epithelial cell junctions in the dystrophic rat retina

We have studied permeability of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell junctions in Royal College of Surgeons rats with inherited retinal degeneration, and their genetic controls, using the horseradish peroxidase and lanthanum nitrate electron microscope tracer techniques. We find that early in the dystrophic process, at two postnatal weeks in the pink-eyed retina and three postnatal weeks in the black-eyed retina, RPE cell tight junctions form a barrier to extracellular tracer. However, at three postnatal weeks in the pink-eyed retina, at about the same time that degenerating photoreceptor nuclei begin to appear, RPE cell tight junctions become permeable. The permeability increase occurs later in the black-eyed strain, but by six postnatal weeks junctions are permeable in both strains. By 72 postnatal days, when most photoreceptor nuclei have disappeared, many RPE cells are abnormal in shape, with an elongated and flattened appearance, and some appear to have lost their junctions entirely. In the horseradish peroxidase experiments, many pinocytotic vesicles filled with reaction product were observed in the dystrophic RPE after the junctional breakdown. This suggests that an increase in transcellular transport may also occur in the dystrophic RPE.

Membrane regulation of the Na+,K+-ATPase during the neuroblastoma cell cycle: correlation with protein lateral mobility

The pumping activity of the plasma membrane-bound Na+,K+-ATPase shows considerable variation during the cell cycle of mouse neuroblastoma Neuro-2A cells. Addition of external ATP at millimolar concentrations, which selectively enhances the plasma membrane permeability of Neuro-2A cells for sodium ions, stimulates the Na+,K+-ATPase pumping activity at all phases of the cell cycle from a factor of 1.05 in mitosis up to 2.2 in G1 phase. Determination of the number of Na+,K+-ATPase copies per cell by direct 3H-ouabain binding studies in the presence of external ATP shows a gradual increase in the number of pump sites on passing from mitosis to the late S/G2-phase by approximately a factor of 2. From these data the pumping activity per copy of Na+,K+-ATPase, optimally stimulated with respect to its various substrate ions, has been determined during the various phases of the cell cycle. This optimally stimulated pumping activity per enzyme copy, which is a reflection of the physicochemical state of the plasma membrane, is high in mitosis, almost twofold lower in early G1 phase, and increases gradually again during the other phases of the cell cycle. This shows that the observed regulation of Na+,K+-ATPase activity during the cell cycle is caused by a combination of three independent factors--namely variation in intracellular substrate availability (Na+), changes in number of enzyme copies per cell, and modulation of the plasma membrane environment of the protein molecules. The modulation of the optimal pumping activity per enzyme copy shows a good correlation (rho = 0.96) with the known modulation of protein lateral mobility during the cell cycle, such that a high protein lateral mobility correlates with a low enzyme activity. It is concluded that changes in plasma membrane properties take place during the Neuro-2A cell cycle that result in changes in the rate of protein lateral diffusion and Na+,K+-ATPase activity in directly correlated way.

Effect of external ATP on the plasma membrane permeability and (Na+ +K+)-ATPase activity of mouse neuroblastoma cells

1. Addition of 3.5 mM ATP to mouse neuroblastoma Neuro-2A cells results in a selective enhancement of the plasma membrane permeability for Na+ relative to K+, as measured by cation flux measurements and electro-physiological techniques. 2. Addition of 3.5 mM ATP to Neuro-2A cells results in a 70% stimulation of the rate of active K+ -uptake by these cells, partly because of the enhanced plasma membrane permeability for Na+. Under these conditions the pumping activity of the Neuro-2A (Na+ +K+)-ATPase is optimally stimulated with respect to its various substrate ions. 3. External ATP significantly enhances the affinity of the Neuro-2A (Na+ +K+)-ATPase for ouabain, as measured by direct [3H]ouabain-binding studies and by inhibition studies of active K+ uptake. In the presence of 3.5 mM ATP and the absence of external K+ both techniques indicate an apparent dissociation constant for ouabain of 2 X 10(-6)M. Neuro-2A cells contain (3.5 +/- 0.7) X 10(5) ouabain-binding sites per cell, giving rise to an optimal pumping activity of (1.7 +/- 0.4) X 10(-20) mol K+/min per copy of (Na+ +K+)-ATPase at room temperature.

Cultured monolayers of MDCK cells: a novel model system for the study of epithelial development and function

The application of cell culture techniques to the study of epithelial transport function is illustrated by the renal-derived MDCK system. MDCK cells display a typical epithelial morphology with an asymmetric localisation of the (Na+-K+)-ATPase to the lateral interspace membranes. Transepithelial ion transport is observed (using cell monolayers grown on permeable millipore filters clamped into standard Ussing chambers) which is sensitive to hormonal stimulation by adrenaline, exogenous ATP, PGE1, vasopressin and aldosterone. The development of epithelial characteristics in culture is discussed.

Microscopical methods for the localization of Na+,K+-ATPase

Na+,K+-ATPase plays a central role in the ionic and osmotic homeostasis of cells and in the movements of electrolytes and water across epithelial boundaries. Microscopic localization of the enzyme is, therefore, of crucial importance in establishing the subcellular routes of electrolyte flow across structurally complex and functionally polarized epithelia. Recently developed approaches to the localization of Na+,K+-ATPase are reviewed. These methods rely on different properties of the enzyme and encompass cytochemical localization of the K+-dependent nitrophenylphosphatase component of the enzyme, autoradiographic localization of tritiated ouabain binding sites, and immunocytochemical localization of the holoenzyme and of its catalytic subunit. The rationales for each of these techniques are outlined as are the criteria that have been established to validate each method. The observed localization of NA+,K+-ATPase in various tissues is discussed, particularly as it relative to putative and hypothetical mechanisms that are currently thought to mediate reabsorptive and secretory electrolyte transport.

Ion transport in 'tight' epithelial monolayers of MDCK cells

Cultured monolayers of MDCK cells grown upon filter supports display many features of in vivo epithelia. Previously reported values of transmonolayer resistance of 100 omega cm-2 (Misfeldt, Hamamoto & Pitelka, 1976; Cereijido, Robbins, Dolan, Rotunno & Sabatini, 1978) indicate a leaky epithelium. This paper describes the properties of a strain of MDCK cells which displays entirely different electrophysiological properties. The results show that (i) the mean transmonolayer resistance is 4.16 k omega cm-2, (ii) transmonolayer ion transport is of small magnitude since the mean spontaneous open circuit PD is only 2.17 mV basal surface positive and isotopic Na and Cl flux measurements fail to demonstrate a significant net flux, (iii) the action of ouabain, amiloride and ion substitutions are consistent with transmonolayer net Na movement being largely responsible for the spontaneous PD, and (iv) asymmetry in the localization of the Na-K ATPase is evident on the basis of 3H-ouabain binding to cell monolayer.

Tissue culture in nephrology: potential and limits for the study of renal disease

Kidney cells, when isolated and cultivated in vitro, retain differentiated renal properties. Glomerular epithelial and mesangial cells from animal and human kidneys express their normal ultrastructure and the ability for basement membrane biosynthesis. Mesangial cells in culture have been utilized particularly for the study of hormonal tissue receptors, of prostaglandin production, and of their contractile response to various hormonal stimuli. Cells of tubule origin have been a valuable tool for the study of transport mechanism which, as a consequence of the heterogeneity of nephron functions, can not be assessed in vivo. Ion transport and its structural basis, as well as transport regulation by hormones has been studied in established epithelial cell lines. Induction of ion transport and enzyme activities, and the control of cell proliferation and differentiation has also been succesfully evaluated in cultured epithelia derived from the kidney. Future work will attempt to prepare cell lines from defined nephron segments to study chemical and physical phenomena of renal disease.