Culture of kidney tubular cells in vitro

• Published in: Japanese journal of pharmacology Vol. 33; p. 145
• Main Authors: Ozawa, Kazuko, Sato, Atsushige, Sakavori, Masami, Shinoda, Toshio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 1983
• ISSN: 0021-5198; 1347-3506
• DOI: 10.1016/S0021-5198(19)60423-3

The purpose of this study was to develop a system of culturing renal tubular epithelial cells to investigate the function of the kidney. Nephron segments were isolated from normal rabbit kidneys using a microdissection or a discontinuous Percoll gradient technique and cultured with five different culture media. The tubular cells were characterized by the enzyme activities and the receptor activities against hormones. The modified K-l medium supplemented with 5% fetal calf serum was most appropriate for the growth of the tubular cells. The outgrowth of epithelioid cells from proximal straight tubules, thick ascending limbs of Henle’s loop and collecting ducts was observed. The cultured cells from the denser fraction in Percoll gradients exhibited jr-glutamyltransferase activity, but neither alkaline phosphatase nor hexokinase activity. The cyclic AMP level in these cells increased about four-fold within 2 min with 1-34 synthetic parathyroid hormone (2 U/ml). In the presence of arginine vasopressin (5 mU/ml) and isoproterenol (10 μM), the cyclic AMP level was elevated slightly, but not influenced by calcitonin (50 mU/ml). The results suggest that the renal tubular cell culture retains the differentiated properties of the proximal tubular epithelial cells of origin.