Hormone-specific responses and biosynthesis of sulfolipids in cell lines derived from mammalian kidney

The established cell lines isolated from mammalian kidney were characterized by its receptor activities against hormones and the ability to synthesize sulfolipids localized in the renal tubule. The level of 3':5'-cyclic AMP in JTC-12.P3 (monkey kidney) cells increased in 2 min as much as 2.5-5-fold on activation with 1.0 unit/ml of bovine parathyroid hormone or 1.9 units/ml of synthetic parathyroid hormone (1-34) resulting in intracellular cyclic AMP concentration of more than 40 pmol/mg protein. Prostaglandin E1 (14 micronM) and isopropylnorepinephrine (10 micronM) were also found to increase the concentration of cyclic AMP by more than 30- and 9-fold, respectively. Addition in medium of calcitonin, arginine vasopressin, adrenocorticotropic hormone and glucagon caused no significant changes of cyclic AMP level in the cell. In contrast, MDCK, a cell line isolated from canine kidney, reacted to arginine vasopressin, isopropylnorepinephrine and prostaglandin E1 and only slightly to parathyroid hormone. MDBK cell line derived from bovine kidney or fibroblast cell lines from rat lung and guinea pig kidney did not react to any of the hormones specific to kidney, i.e. arginine vasopressin, calcitonin or parathyroid hormone in the presence of theophylline. However, in the presence of 2 mM isobutylmethylxanthine, small but significant elevation of cellular cyclic AMP levels in response to calcitonin, arginine vasopressin, isopropylnorepinephrine and prostaglandin E1 was observed. The cell lines JTC-12, MDCK and MDBK, when incubated with H235SO4, incorporated the isotope into sulfolipids assigned as sulfatides and ceramide dihexoside sulfate or in MDCK also into cholesterol sulfate. The results suggested that JTC-12, MDCK and MDBK cell lines are epithelial origin and also JTC-12 and MDCK originated most probably from renal tubular cells of cortex and medulla, respectively.