Calbindin-D28K facilitates cytosolic calcium diffusion without interfering with calcium signaling

The role of calbindin-D28K, in transcellular Ca2+ transport and Ca2+ signaling in rabbit cortical collecting system was investigated. Rabbit kidney connecting tubules and cortical collecting ducts, hereafter referred to as cortical collecting system, were isolated by immunodissection and cultured to confluence on permeable filters and glass coverslips. Calbindin-D28K was present in the cytosol of principal cells, but was absent from the intercalated cells. 1,25(OH)2D3 (48 h, 10(-7) M) significantly increased cellular calbindin-D28K levels (194 +/- 15%) and stimulated transcellular Ca2+ transport (41 +/- 3%). This stimulatory effect could be fully mimicked by the endogenous Ca2+ chelator, BAPTA (30 microM BAPTA/AM), which suggests that the presence of Ca2+ chelators alone is sufficient to enhance transcellular Ca2+ transport. Stimulation of Ca2+ transport was not accompanied by a rise in [Ca2+]i. Isosmotic replacement of extracellular Na+ ([Na+]o) for N-methylglucamine (NMG) generated oscillations in [Ca2+]i in individual cells of the monolayer. The functional parameters of these oscillations such as frequency of spiking, resting [Ca2+]i, increase in [Ca2+]i and percentage of responding cells, were not affected by the level of calbindin-D28K. In contrast, loading the cells with BAPTA abruptly stopped these [Ca2+]i oscillations. This suggests that the kinetics of Ca2+ binding by calbindin-D28K are slow relative to the initiation of the [Ca2+]i rise, so that calbindin-D28K, unlike BAPTA, is unable to reduce [Ca2+]i rapidly enough to prevent the initiation of Ca(2+)-induced Ca2+ release.