Phosphate transport and alkaline phosphatase in confluent MDCK cell monolayers

Several studies have suggested that the brush border membrane alkaline phosphatase is involved in the renal reabsorption of inorganic phosphate along the proximal convoluted tubule. However, other studies on the influence of l(-)bromotetramisole, an inhibitor of alkaline phosphatase, upon phosphate transport into brush border membrane vesicles have failed to show an involvement of alkaline phosphatase. The present experiments were designed to demonstrate that the MDCK (Madin, Darby, canine, kidney) cell line can be used as an alternative model to study phosphate transport, to examine the effect of l(-)bromotetramisole and the role of alkaline phosphatase. MDCK cell monolayers were concomitantly used for alkaline phosphatase activity measurement and phosphate transport analysis. While alkaline phosphatase activity increases by 37-fold from day 2 to day 8 of culture, reaching a plateau at day 10, the sodium-dependent phosphate transport into the cell monolayers decreases by 2-fold during that same period. The phosphate transport was also studied in the presence of l(-)bromotetramisole at pH 8.5. The sodium-dependent phosphate uptake of inorganic phosphate is reduced by 43% in the presence of l(-)bromotetramisole at day 3 of culture but is not reduced in the 7-day-old culture. Our results suggest a participation of alkaline phosphatase upon phosphate transport in MDCK cell monolayers and indicate that this cell line constitutes a good model to study the relationship between alkaline phosphatase and phosphate transport.