UT-B1 urea transporter is expressed along the urinary and gastrointestinal tracts of the mouse

Selective transporters account for rapid urea transport across plasma membranes of several cell types. UT-B1 urea transporter is widely distributed in rat and human tissues. Because mice exhibit high urea turnover and are the preferred species for gene engineering, we have delineated UT-B1 tissue expression in murine tissues. A cDNA was cloned from BALB/c mouse kidney, encoding a polypeptide that differed from C57BL/6 mouse UT-B1 by one residue (Val-8-Ala). UT-B1 mRNA was detected by RT-PCR in brain, kidney, bladder, testis, lung, spleen, and digestive tract (liver, stomach, jejunum, colon). Northern blotting revealed seven UT-B1 transcripts in mouse tissues. Immunoblots identified a nonglycosylated UT-B1 protein of 29 kDa in most tissues and of 36 and 32 kDa in testis and liver, respectively. UT-B1 protein of gastrointestinal tract did not undergo N-glycosylation. Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization localized UT-B1 in urinary tract urothelium (papillary surface, ureter, bladder, and urethra), prominently on plasma membranes and restricted to the basolateral area in umbrella cells. UT-B1 was found in endothelial cells of descending vasa recta in kidney medulla and in astrocyte processes in brain. Dehydration induced by water deprivation for 2 days caused a tissue-specific decrease in UT-B1 abundance in the urinary bladder and the ureter.