Electrical properties of rabbit early distal convoluted tubule in primary culture

Distal bright convoluted tubules (DCTb) were microdissected from rabbit kidney cortex and cultured in a hormonally defined medium. The quality and the degree of polarization of the growing epithelia were assessed by indirect immunofluorescence studies using a monoclonal antibody raised against the apical membrane of the DCTb in situ. The cultured monolayers had a high hexokinase activity and a low gamma-glutamyl transferase activity compared with cultured proximal convoluted tubules. Adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate production was stimulated by calcitonin and insensitive to parathyroid hormone, vasopressin, and isoproterenol. Both 20- and 30-day-old cultures developed an apical-negative transepithelial potential of -3.1 and -22.3 mV, respectively. Amiloride reversibly reduced the voltage by 90% only when applied on the apical side of the monolayers. Phenamil (10(-8), 10(-6) M) had the same effect as amiloride. Calcitonin reversibly decreased the transepithelial voltage. These data support the hypothesis that, in the DCTb in primary culture, the transepithelial voltage is due to the presence of Na channels and that calcitonin modulates this transport pathway.