Autoradiographic determination of dexamethasone binding sites along the rabbit nephron

Specific binding sites of tritiated dexamethasone ([3H]dex) along the tubule of rabbit kidney were investigated using an autoradiographic method (dry film) on isolated tubular segments. After in vitro incubation of kidney pyramids with [3H]dex (0.15-53 nM) in the presence or absence of an excess (X200) of unlabeled dexamethasone, tubular segments were microdissected and processed for autoradiography. A quantitative analysis of specific labeling over cytoplasm and nuclei was performed. Specific nuclear binding was observed in all tubular segments beyond the pars recta. This binding was dose dependent and reached much higher values than those reported for aldosterone. In the proximal tubule, the specific labeling was also high but remained mostly cytoplasmic. The meaning of these drastically different intracellular localizations is still open to interpretation. Autoradiography was performed after in vivo injection of [3H]dex and [3H]aldosterone. The results were not different from those described here for dexamethasone and from those previously reported for aldosterone after in vitro incubation. We conclude that specific nuclear binding sites for dexamethasone range over the nephron except for proximal tubule, with no great difference among segments, in contrast to specific sites for aldosterone, which are restricted to distal and cortical collecting tubules. The exact significance of the proximal cytoplasmic specific binding of [3H]dex remains to be determined.