Electrogenic sodium absorption and chloride secretion by an inner medullary collecting duct cell line (mIMCD-K2)

The initial segment of the inner medullary collecting duct (IMCDi) absorbs Na+ by an electrogenic mechanism and plays an important role in regulating the composition and volume of the urine. The purpose of the present study was to establish a permanent cell line derived from the IMCDi, which has the ion transport properties of the IMCDi in vivo. To this end, we isolated IMCD cells from the IMCDi of a mouse, Tg(SV40E) Bri 7, transgenic for the early region of SV40 (large T antigen) and established a permanent cell line, mIMCD-K2, by clonal dilution. mIMCD-K2 cells retain many differentiated characteristics of the IMCDi, including amiloride-sensitive electrogenic Na+ absorption stimulated by nanomolar concentrations of aldosterone. Aldosterone (1.5 x 10(-6) M) increased Na+ absorption from 0.2 +/- 0.1 to 4.6 +/- 1.7 microA/cm2. In addition, the cells secrete Cl- by an electrogenic mechanism at a rate of 0.5 +/- 0.1 microA/cm2. We propose that IMCDi cells either absorb or secrete NaCl depending on NaCl homeostasis. The mIMCD-K2 cell line should be useful for studying the cellular mechanisms responsible for electrogenic Na+ and Cl- transport in the IMCDi.

Development of a spontaneous permanent cell line of rabbit corneal epithelial cells that undergoes sequential stages of differentiation in cell culture

Established epithelial cell lines that retain their differentiation potential and growth regulatory characteristics can provide valuable tools for studying gene regulation, extracellular matrix synthesis or growth factor response. They are also useful for drug development and toxicity testing. Experiments were therefore carried out to optimize culture conditions for the long-term, serial transfer of corneal epithelial cells in the presence of 3T3 feeder layers; and to establish a permanent cell line. In such experiments, rabbit corneal epithelial cells were seeded at low inoculation densities, and transferred every 5 days. After 80 population doublings, an epithelial cell line, RCE1, emerged. The cell line is heteroploid, with an average population doubling time of 15.5 hours (vs 18 hours for primary cultures). When RCE1 cells reached confluence, they stratified to form a three- to five-layered epithelium and expressed the differentiation-related keratin pair K3/K12 as shown by immunoblot and immunostaining. Biosynthetic labeling of proliferating, confluent and stratified cultures further showed that RCE1 cells expressed keratin pairs K5/K14, K6/K16 and K3/K12, thus mimicking faithfully the stage-dependent differentiation of primary cultures of rabbit corneal keratinocytes. The results demonstrated that RCE1 cells provide a useful model for studying corneal cell growth and differentiation.