A tubule cell line established from transgenic mice harboring temperature-sensitive simian virus 40 large T-antigen gene.

Immortalization of cell lines with specific functions is important for examination of organ-specific functions in vitro. We established a kidney tubule cell line (TKC2) exhibiting a specific physiological response to hormone from the primary culture of kidneys of adult transgenic mice harboring temperature-sensitive SV40 large T-antigen gene. TKC2 cells showed temperature-sensitive growth in culture and exhibited characters of distal tubule cells such as dome formation at confluent culture and stimulation of cAMP synthesis by arginine vasopressin. These phenotypes are maintained after long passages in culture and may provide a new experimental system for studying renal physiology.