.-Pathological rates of gallbladder salt and water transport may promote the formation of cholesterol gallstones. Because prairie dogs are widely used as a model of this event, we characterized gallbladder ion transport in animals fed control chow by using electrophysiology, ion substitution, pharmacology, isotopic fluxes, impedance analysis, and molecular biology. In contrast to the electroneutral properties of rabbit and Necturus gallbladders, prairie dog gallbladders generated significant short-circuit current (I sc; 171 Ϯ 21 A/cm 2 ) and lumen-negative potential difference (Ϫ10.1 Ϯ 1.2 mV) under basal conditions. Unidirectional radioisotopic fluxes demonstrated electroneutral NaCl absorption, whereas the residual net ion flux corresponded to I sc. In response to 2 M forskolin, Isc exceeded 270 A/cm 2 , and impedance estimates of the apical membrane resistance decreased from 200 ⍀ ⅐ cm 2 to 13 ⍀ ⅐ cm 2 . The forskolin-induced Isc was dependent on extracellular HCO 3 Ϫ and was blocked by serosal 4,4Ј-dinitrostilben-2,2Ј-disulfonic acid (DNDS) and acetazolamide, whereas serosal bumetanide and Cl Ϫ ion substitution had little effect. Serosal trans-6-cyano-4-(N-ethylsulfonyl-N-methylamino)-3-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyl-chroman and Ba 2ϩ reduced Isc, consistent with the inhibition of cAMP-dependent K ϩ channels. Immunoprecipitation and confocal microscopy localized cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator protein (CFTR) to the apical membrane and subapical vesicles. Consistent with serosal DNDS sensitivity, pancreatic sodium-bicarbonate cotransporter protein pNBC1 expression was localized to the basolateral membrane. We conclude that prairie dog gallbladders secrete bicarbonate through cAMP-dependent apical CFTR anion channels. Basolateral HCO 3 Ϫ entry is mediated by DNDS-sensitive pNBC1, and the driving force for apical anion secretion is provided by K ϩ channel activation.disease; ion transport; cystic fibrosis conductance membrane regulator; sodium-bicarbonate symporters ALTHOUGH GALLBLADDER DISEASE is the most frequent indication for abdominal surgery in the United States (19), the factors that confer susceptibility to gallstones remain poorly understood. Prairie dogs have been widely studied as an experimental model of human cholelithiasis due to their unique propensity for developing gallstones on high-cholesterol chow (7). Prior studies in cholesterol-fed prairie dogs (4) have demonstrated that gallbladder salt and water transport are altered before gallstones form, a phenomenon that may cause cholesterol to precipitate in the gallbladder lumen. The potential for targeting gallbladder ion transport as a strategy for preventing cholelithiasis is underscored by data showing that amiloride inhibits the formation of gallstones in cholesterol-fed prairie dogs (56).To use the prairie dog as a model to investigate this event, we performed a detailed characterization of gallbladder ion transport in animals fed control chow. Classic studies in Necturus and rabbit gallbladders established the paradigm for electr...