Individually microdissected nephron segments of defined epithelial origin from human kidneys were cultured in vitro in the present studies. Nephron segments of proximal convoluted tubule, proximal straight tubule, cortical thick ascending limb of Henle, and cortical collecting tubule were grown in defined media. Each cell type retained differentiated characteristics as assessed by ultrastructural morphology, marker enzyme profiles, and adenylate cyclase response to selected hormones. These studies demonstrate the feasibility of using primary cultures of well-defined segments of the human nephron to study human renal tubular epithelia in vitro.

Atrial natriuretic factor results in diuresis in animals and humans, perhaps because atrial natriuretic factor increases renal blood flow. The possibility that this diuresis is due to direct inhibition of renal tubular epithelial water transport was examined in rabbit collecting tubules perfused in vitro. Atriopeptin III inhibition of the hydraulic conductivity response to the hormone arginine vasopressin but not to either 3'5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate or forskolin was found. These results suggest that atriopeptin III acts proximal to cyclic adenosine monophosphate formation to directly affect vasopressin-stimulated water transport in the mammalian nephron. They also suggest a potential role for inhibition by atrial natriuretic factor of the renal response to arginine vasopressin as a contributor to a diuretic state.

A B S T R A C T To examine the role of basal insulin and glucagon secretion in potassium and sodium homeostasis, somatostatin, a potent inhibitor of insulin and glucagon secretion, was infused for 5 h into healthy human subjects, maturity-onset diabetes, juvenile-onset diabetics, and normal dogs. Infusion of somatostatin resulted in an increase in serum potassium (0.5-0.6 meq/liter) in normal subjects and maturity-onset diabetics, but not in juvenile-onset diabetics despite equivalent reductions in plasma glucagon in all three groups. A similar rise in serum potassium was observed in normal conscious dogs given somatostatin and was reversed by insulin replacement. Urinary excretion of potassium was unaffected by somatostatin.In dogs given intravenous potassium chloride in doses (0.375 meq/kg per h) which do not alter basal insulin levels, the rise in serum potassium (0.6 meq/ liter in controls) increased 100% when somatostatin was administered together with the KC1 infusion. Addition of replacement doses of insulin to the somatostatin infusion resulted in increments in serum potassium which were comparable to infusion of KCI alone. Urinary potassium excretion rose after KC1 administration and was unchanged by the addition of somatostatin.Serum sodium concentration was unaffected by somatostatin administration in both the human and dog studies. However, urinary sodium excretion displayed a biphasic response falling by 20-60% within the first 2 h of somatostatin administration and then Dr. Felig is an Established Investigator of the American Diabetes Association.

Rat inner medullary collecting tubule (RIMCT) cells produce arachidonate derivatives including prostacyclin (PGI2). In RIMCT cells, PGI2 causes a dose-dependent increase in adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP; fmol/micrograms protein) from a basal level of 15.6 +/- 1.7 to 32.4 +/- 5.7 at 0.3 microM, 63.3 +/- 8.3 at 3 microM, and 103.5 +/- 9.4 at 30 microM PGI2. At concentrations of arginine vasopressin (AVP) from 10(-7) to 10(-9) M, cAMP was greater in the presence than absence of 3 microM PGI2, suggesting independent sites of action. To assess whether the PGI2 effect is mediated by the prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) receptor, desensitization studies were performed. A 6-h preincubation with 10 microM PGE2 blunted the response to 3 microM PGE2 by 90 +/- 2% but the PGI2 response was decreased by only 31 +/- 5%, P less than 0.001. Carbaprostacyclin (carba-PGI2), a stable analogue of PGI2, blunted the cAMP response to PGI2 by 94 +/- 3% but to PGE2 by only 46 +/- 7%, P less than 0.005. The postreceptor effect of PGI2 on components of the adenylate cyclase was examined. The response to forskolin was markedly potentiated by PGI2. PGI2 (3 microM) caused an increase in cAMP of 67 fmol/micrograms over basal in the absence of forskolin, of 164 fmol/micrograms at 10(-7) M forskolin, of 386 fmol/micrograms at 10(-6) M forskolin, and of 563 fmol/micrograms at 10(-5) M forskolin. The response of PGI2 was likewise potentiated by forskolin. Water permeability alone or in response to AVP in isolated perfused inner medullary collecting tubules was not affected by carba-PGI2.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)