Long-term effects of arginine vasopressin (AVP) in the kidney involve the transcription of unidentified genes. By subtractive hybridization experiments performed on the RCCD 1 cortical collecting duct cell line, we identified calcyclin as an early AVP-induced gene (1 h). Calcyclin is a calcium-binding protein involved in the transduction of intracellular signals. In the kidney, calcyclin was localized at the mRNA level in the glomerulus, all along the collecting duct, and in the epithelium lining the papilla. In RCCD 1 cells and in m-IMCD 3 inner medullary collecting duct cells, calcyclin was evidenced in the cytoplasm. Calcyclin mRNA levels were progressively increased by AVP treatment in RCCD 1 (1.7-fold at 4 h) and m-IMCD 3 (2-fold at 7.5 h) cells. In RCCD 1 cells, calcyclin protein levels were increased by 4 h of AVP treatment. In vivo, treatment of genetically vasopressindeficient Brattleboro rats with AVP for 4 days induced an increase in both calcyclin and aquaporin-2 mRNA expression. Finally, introduction of anti-calcyclin antibodies into RCCD 1 cells by permeabilizing the plasma membrane prevented the long-term (but not short-term) increase in short-circuit current induced by AVP. Taken together, these results suggest that calcyclin is an early vasopressin-induced gene that participates in the late phase of the hormone response in transepithelial ion transport.
Arginine vasopressin (AVP)1 is a polypeptide hormone involved in the regulation of renal water and ion transport. In the collecting duct, AVP coordinately increases water and NaCl reabsorption by a two-step mechanism. The first mechanism is responsible for the short-term effects of AVP. These effects consist of the translocation of aquaporin-2 (AQP2) water channels and amiloride-sensitive sodium channels from intracellular pools to the apical membrane, promoting an increase in both sodium and water entry (1-4). This increase induces, in turn, a coordinate rise in transepithelial water and sodium reabsorption (5-10). These effects are rapid and transient because the effect is down-regulated after ϳ1 h in the rat collecting duct (11). In addition to this short-term effect, AVP induces a long-term effect. This effect consists of a late increase in transepithelial water, sodium, and chloride transport after several hours. This late effect is mediated through a transcriptional/translational mechanism and involves an increase in the mRNA and de novo synthesis of different proteins such as AQP2; the  and ␥ (but not ␣) subunits of ENaC (epithelial Na ϩ channel); the ␣ 1 (but not  1 ) subunit of Na ϩ /K ϩ -ATPase; and CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) (12-15). This long-term effect may involve the genomic pathway by activation of cAMP-responsive elements in the promoter region of these genes and may ensure a sustained increase in sodium, chloride, and water transport in this segment of the nephron. A recent study has focused on the effects of 4 h of treatment with vasopressin on the transcriptome of a mouse kidney cortical colle...