Vitamin D--dependent calcium binding protein: immunocytochemical localization in chick kidney.

A vitamin D--dependent calcium binding protein in the chick kidney that was detected by immunocytochemical techniques was localized exclusively in the distal convoluted tubule, the initial collecting tubule, and the early part of the collecting tubule. The intercalated (mitochondria-rich) cells in these tubular segments were negative for the calcium binding protein. Subcellularly, the protein was found in the cytosol and the nucleus of the tubular cells. The results suggest a role for vitamin D--dependent calcium binding protein in intracellular calcium metabolism rather than a direct involvement in membrane-mediated calcium reabsorption in the avian kidney.