Cell culture of renal epithelium derived from rabbit microdissected cortical collecting tubules.

Cortical collecting tubules were dissected from rabbit kidney and cultured in a hormonally defined serum-free medium. Morphologic studies of the cultured cells derived from the collecting tubule indicated that the cells maintained their epithelial nature. These studies also revealed the presence of two distinct cell types that closely resemble the principal and intercalated cell types of the cortical collecting tubule. Several biochemical characteristics of the cultured cells were found to be similar to previously reported values for the cortical collecting tubule. The cells retain hormonal responsiveness to antidiuretic hormone (ADH), as demonstrated by a 12-fold increase in cAMP in response to ADH. Cultured cortical collecting tubule cells produce prostaglandins, with prostaglandin E2 as the predominant cyclooxygenase product. This study presents the first morphologic and biochemical characterization of cortical collecting tubule epithelial cells grown in culture.