Initial Inner Medullary Collecting Duct Research Articles

Prostaglandin E2 Activates Basal EP4 Receptors to Stimulate Chloride Secretion Via Both cAMP and Calcium Mediated Pathways

The renal collecting duct (CD) maintains salt (NaCl) balance by fine‐tuning NaCl excretion in response to dietary salt intake. Under conditions of high dietary salt intake (HDS), prostaglandin‐E2 (PGE‐2) production is enhanced and promotes NaCl excretion. The molecular mechanisms by which PGE‐2 works are not well defined. Under conditions of HDS, Na+ reabsorption is suppressed, and the regulation of Cl− secretion may predominate. The initial segment of the inner medullary CD (IMCD) is the only segment known to secrete Cl− under HDS. We used the mIMCD‐K2 cell line, a mouse cell line derived from the initial IMCD, to study the effects of PGE‐2 on Cl− transport in the IMCD.In mIMCD‐K2 cells, PGE‐2 activates basolateral EP‐4 receptors (EP‐4R) to increase Cl− secretion via both the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) and Ca2+ activated Cl− channels (CACC). EP‐4R activation enhances cAMP production which activates CFTR; unexpectedly, we found that EP4R activation also increases intracellular Ca2+ to stimulate CACC mediated Cl− secretion. We also determined that PGE‐2 stimulated secretion involves crosstalk between cAMP and Ca2+ signaling pathways in which intracellular Ca2+ influences CFTR activity and cAMP influences CACC activity. These two pathways, and the crosstalk between them, may represent a concerted mechanism by which PGE‐2 acts to enhance NaCl excretion under conditions of HDS.

Vasopressin increases urea permeability in the initial IMCD from diabetic rats

In normal rats, vasopressin and hyperosmolality enhance urea permeability (P(urea)) in the terminal, but not in the initial inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD), a process thought to occur through the UT-A1 urea transporter. In the terminal IMCD, UT-A1 is detected as 97- and 117-kDa glycoproteins. However, in the initial IMCD, only the 97-kDa form is detected. During streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus, UT-A1 protein abundance is increased, and the 117-kDa UT-A1 glycoprotein appears in the initial IMCD. We hypothesize that the 117-kDa glycoprotein mediates the vasopressin- and osmolality-induced changes in P(urea). Thus, in the present study, we measured P(urea) in in vitro perfused initial IMCDs from diabetic rats by imposing a 5 mM bath-to-lumen urea gradient without any osmotic gradient. Basal P(urea) was similar in control vs. diabetic rats (3 +/- 1 vs. 5 +/- 1 x 10(-5) cm/s, n = 4, P = not significant). Vasopressin (10 nM) significantly increased P(urea) to 16 +/- 5 x 10(-5) cm/s (n = 4, P < 0.05) in diabetic but not in control rats. Forskolin (10 microM, adenylyl cyclase activator) also significantly increased P(urea) in diabetic rats. In contrast, increasing osmolality to 690 mosmol/kg H2O did not change P(urea) in diabetic rats. We conclude that initial IMCDs from diabetic rats have vasopressin- and forskolin-, but not hyperosmolality-stimulated P(urea). The appearance of vasopressin-stimulated P(urea) in initial IMCDs correlates with an increase in UT-A1 protein abundance and the appearance of the 117-kDa UT-A1 glycoprotein in this region during diabetes. This suggests that the 117-kDa UT-A1 glycoprotein is necessary for vasopressin-stimulated urea transport.

Correction of age-related polyuria by dDAVP: molecular analysis of aquaporins and urea transporters.

Senescent female WAG/Rij rats exhibit polyuria without obvious renal disease or defects in vasopressin plasma level or V(2) receptor mRNA expression. Normalization of urine flow rate by 1-desamino-8-d-arginine vasopressin (dDAVP) was investigated in these animals. Long-term dDAVP infusion into 30-mo-old rats reduced urine flow rate and increased urine osmolality to levels comparable to those in control 10-mo-old rats. The maximal urine osmolality in aging rat kidney was, however, lower than that in adult kidney, despite supramaximal administration of dDAVP. This improvement involved increased inner medullary osmolality and urea sequestration. This may result from upregulation of UT-A1, the vasopressin-regulated urea transporter, in initial inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD), but not in terminal IMCD, where UT-A1 remained low. Expression of UT-A2, which contributes to medullary urea recycling, was greatly increased. Regulation of IMCD aquaporin (AQP)-2 (AQP2) expression by dDAVP differed between adult and senescent rats: the low AQP2 abundance in senescent rats was normalized by dDAVP infusion, which also improved targeting of the channel; in adult rats, AQP2 expression was unaltered, suggesting that IMCD AQP2 expression is not regulated by dDAVP directly. Increased AQP3 expression in senescent rats may also be involved in improved urine-concentrating capacity owing to higher basolateral water and urea reabsorption capacity.

Regulation of renal urea transporters.

Urea is important for the conservation of body water due to its role in the production of concentrated urine in the renal inner medulla. Physiologic data demonstrate that urea is transported by facilitated and by active urea transporter proteins. The facilitated urea transporter (UT-A) in the terminal inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) permits very high rates of transepithelial urea transport and results in the delivery of large amounts of urea into the deepest portions of the inner medulla where it is needed to maintain a high interstitial osmolality for concentrating the urine maximally. Four isoforms of the UT-A urea transporter family have been cloned to date. The facilitated urea transporter (UT-B) in erythrocytes permits these cells to lose urea rapidly as they traverse the ascending vasa recta, thereby preventing loss of urea from the medulla and decreasing urine-concentrating ability by decreasing the efficiency of countercurrent exchange, as occurs in Jk null individuals (who lack Kidd antigen). In addition to these facilitated urea transporters, three sodium-dependent, secondary active urea transport mechanisms have been characterized functionally in IMCD subsegments: (1) active urea reabsorption in the apical membrane of initial IMCD from low-protein fed or hypercalcemic rats; (2) active urea reabsorption in the basolateral membrane of initial IMCD from furosemide-treated rats; and (3) active urea secretion in the apical membrane of terminal IMCD from untreated rats. This review focuses on the physiologic, biophysical, and molecular evidence for facilitated and active urea transporters, and integrative studies of their acute and long-term regulation in rats with reduced urine-concentrating ability.

Renal tubular and vascular urea transporters: influence of antidiuretic hormone on messenger RNA expression in Brattleboro rats.

In the kidney, facilitated urea transport in precise vascular and tubular structures is mainly involved in water conservation. Three urea transporters have been cloned: UT2-long expressed in terminal inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD), UT2-short expressed in thin descending limb, and UT11 in descending vasa recta. The effect of arginine vasopressin (AVP) administration on mRNA expression of these three transporters was examined in Brattleboro rats with diabetes insipidus. V2 effects were discriminated from combined V1 + V2 effects by comparing treatments with 1-deamino-8-D-AVP (dDAVP) (selective V2 agonism) and AVP (V1 and V2 agonism). Acute and chronic treatments were studied. Abundance of specific mRNA was assessed by quantitative Northern blot analysis of RNA extracted from two regions of inner stripe of outer medulla and from two regions of inner medulla (IM). The results show that mRNA of these urea transporters are differently regulated by AVP. (1) Long-term treatment with either AVP or dDAVP does not alter UT2-long mRNA in tip IM (terminal IMCD) except for a transient initial decrease. (2) Unlike AVP, dDAVP induces the appearance of significant expression of UT2-long mRNA in base IM (initial IMCD), indicating a major V2 effect. (3) UT2-short mRNA in deep inner stripe of outer medulla and base IM (thin descending limb of short and long loops, respectively) is progressively upregulated with duration of AVP or dDAVP treatment. (4) The much higher changes in UT2-long and UT2-short induced by dDAVP compared with AVP suggest that they are dependent mainly on V2 agonism, and likely attenuated by V1 agonism. (5) UT11 mRNA expression in tip IM is equally depressed by AVP and dDAVP, indicating that this vascular transporter is also influenced by AVP and/or urine-concentrating activity, via an indirect mechanism that remains to be determined.

Long-term regulation of inner medullary collecting duct urea transport in rat.

Facilitated urea transport is regulated acutely by arginine vasopressin (AVP) and hyperosmolality in rat terminal inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD). This study tested whether chronic diuresis or antidiuresis regulates facilitated urea transport. Basal and AVP-stimulated urea permeabilities (Purea) were measured in perfused IMCD subsegments. Rats were made: (1) diuretic by giving them sugar water (with or without food) or furosemide; or (2) antidiuretic by water deprivation. They were then compared with untreated rats given food and water ad libitum. Terminal IMCD from untreated rats had a high basal Purea that was significantly increased by AVP. Diuresis significantly increased basal Purea in terminal IMCD in all five diuresis protocols. Water deprivation for 1 or 3 d had no effect on basal or AVP-stimulated Purea in the IMCD2 subsegment of the terminal IMCD. In contrast, 3 d of water deprivation significantly increased both basal and AVP-stimulated Purea in the IMCD3 subsegment; 1 d of water deprivation had no effect on basal or AVP-stimulated Purea. Next, initial IMCD (IMCD1) were studied. Initial IMCD from untreated rats had a low basal Purea that was not increased by AVP (10 nM). Water diuresis (with or without food) for 3 to 5 d had no effect on basal Purea but significantly increased AVP-stimulated Purea. Furosemide diuresis and water diuresis for 1 or 7 d had no effect on either basal or AVP-stimulated Purea in initial IMCD. Water deprivation for 2 to 3 d, but not for 1 d, significantly increased basal Purea in initial IMCD, whereas water deprivation for 1 d increased AVP-stimulated Purea. It is concluded that chronic changes in hydration cause heterogeneous changes in facilitated urea transport in rat IMCD subsegments.

Fourfold reduction of water permeability in inner medullary collecting duct of aquaporin-4 knockout mice.

Aquaporin (AQP)-3 and AQP4 water channels are expressed at the basolateral membrane of mammalian collecting duct epithelium. To determine the contribution of AQP4 to water permeability in the initial inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD), osmotic water permeability (Pf) was compared in isolated perfused IMCD segments from wild-type and AQP4 knockout mice. The AQP4 knockout mice were previously found to have normal gross appearance, survival, growth, and kidney morphology and a mild urinary concentrating defect (T. Ma, B. Yang, A. Gillespie, E. J. Carlson, C. J. Epstein, and A. S. Verkman, J. Clin. Invest. 100: 957-962, 1997). Transepithelial Pf was measured in microdissected IMCDs after 18-48 h of water deprivation and in the presence of 0.1 nM arginine vasopressin (to make basolateral Pf rate limiting). Pf values (37 degrees C; means +/- SE in cm/s x 10(-3)) were 56.0 +/- 8.5 for wild-type mice (n = 5) and 13.1 +/- 3.7 for knockout mice (n = 6) (P < 0.001). Northern blot analysis of kidney showed that transcript expression of AQP1, AQP2, AQP3, and AQP6 were not affected by AQP4 deletion. Immunoblot analysis indicated no differences in protein expression of AQP1, AQP2, or AQP3, and immunoperoxidase showed no differences in staining patterns. Coexpression of AQP3 and AQP4 in Xenopus laevis oocytes showed additive water permeabilities, suggesting that AQP4 deletion does not affect AQP3 function. These results indicate that AQP4 is responsible for the majority of basolateral membrane water movement in IMCD but that its deletion is associated with a very mild defect in urinary concentrating ability.

Glucocorticoids downregulate the vasopressin-regulated urea transporter in rat terminal inner medullary collecting ducts.

This study tested whether glucocorticoids regulate tubular urea transport. Urea permeability was measured in perfused inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) subsegments from rats that underwent adrenalectomy, adrenalectomy plus replacement with a physiologic dose of glucocorticoid (dexamethasone), or sham operation. Compared with sham rats, basal urea permeability in terminal IMCD was significantly increased in adrenalectomized rats and reduced in dexamethasone-treated rats. Vasopressin significantly increased urea permeability in all three groups. In contrast, there was no difference in basal or vasopressin-stimulated urea permeability in initial IMCD between the three groups. Next, membrane and vesicle fraction proteins were isolated from inner medullary tip or base and Western analysis was performed by use of an antibody to the rat vasopressin-regulated urea transporter. Vasopressin-regulated urea transporter protein was significantly increased in both membrane and vesicle fractions from the inner medullary tip of adrenalectomized rats. There was no change in vasopressin-regulated urea transporter protein in the inner medullary base, and Northern analysis showed no change in urea transporter mRNA abundance in either inner medullary region. It was concluded that glucocorticoids can downregulate function and expression of the vasopressin-regulated urea transporter in rat terminal IMCD.

The beta 1- and beta 2-adrenoceptor subtypes in cultured rat inner medullary collecting duct cells.

We investigated beta-adrenoceptor subtype(s) expressed in cultured rat inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) cells. In radioligand binding assay, [125I]iodocyanopindolol bound to IMCD cell membranes, representing a single class of binding sites (dissociation constant = 96.1 pM, maximum binding capacity = 18.2 fmol/mg protein, n = 8). In competition studies, ICI-89406 (beta 1-antagonist) and ICI-118551 (beta 2-antagonist) bound with high affinity, fitting a two-site model. Isoproterenol increased intracellular adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) accumulation (half-maximal effective concentration = 200 nM). Propranolol completely inhibited isoproterenol-induced cAMP accumulation [half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) = 270 nM]. ICI-89406 and ICI-118551 inhibited cAMP accumulation by 50% (IC50 = 1.5 microM and 1.7 microM, respectively). The combined addition of ICI-89406 and ICI-118551 resulted in a curve indistinguishable from that of propranolol. The beta 1- and beta 2-adrenoceptor mRNAs have been demonstrated using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. In initial and terminal IMCD cells, propranolol (3 microM) inhibited isoproterenol-stimulated cAMP accumulation by 80%, whereas ICI-89406 (3 microM) and ICI-118551 (3 microM) resulted in only partial inhibition (50%). We conclude that both beta 1- and beta 2-adrenoceptors are expressed in initial and terminal IMCD cells in primary culture.

Active urea transport in the rat inner medullary collecting duct: Functional characterization and initial expression cloning

Active transport of urea has been proposed to exist in the inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) of low-protein fed mammals for over 30 years. We perfused IMCD subsegments from rats fed a standard (18%) or a low (8%) protein diet and tested for the presence of active urea transport. We found no active urea transport in terminal IMCDs, regardless of diet. In initial IMCDs from rats fed 18% protein or fed 8% protein for one to two weeks, we again found no active urea transport. However, in rats fed 8% protein for three to four weeks, we found significant net urea reabsorption. This active urea reabsorption was inhibited when Na+, K(+)-ATPase activity was inhibited by adding 1 mM ouabain or removing bath potassium, suggesting a secondary active transport process. Removing sodium from the perfusate completely inhibited net urea reabsorption, demonstrating that this active urea transport is dependent upon the presence of sodium in the tubule lumen. Unlike the facilitated urea transporter, the active urea transporter was not inhibited by phloretin nor stimulated by vasopressin, suggesting that it is a distinct transport protein. To test this hypothesis, we size-separated poly(A)(+)-RNA prepared from inner medullae of rats fed 8% protein for three weeks and injected it into Xenopus laevis oocytes. RNA from a 4.4 to 8.4 kb size fraction increased urea permeability fourfold compared to water-injected oocytes or injecting RNA from other size-fractions. We conclude that feeding rats a low-protein diet for three weeks induces the expression of an unique, secondary active, sodium-dependent urea transporter whose cDNA is between 4.4 and 8.4 kb in size. In addition, our results suggest that it will be possible to clone the cDNA for this sodium-urea cotransporter by expression in Xenopus laevis oocytes.

Hormone and autacoid regulation of cAMP production in rat IMCD subsegments.

The inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) of the rat consists of two structurally and functionally distinct segments, i.e., the initial and the terminal IMCD. To identify factors that may regulate the transport function in the IMCD segments, we assessed whether catecholamines, carbachol, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), bradykinin, glucagon, calcitonin, parathyroid hormone, or epidermal growth factor affects adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) production in microdissected tubules in the presence and absence of arginine vasopressin (AVP, 0.1 nM). All experiments were performed in the presence of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, and cAMP was measured by radioimmunoassay. Epinephrine (greater than or equal to 50 nM) and clonidine (greater than or equal to 1 microM) markedly decreased AVP-induced cAMP levels in both IMCD segments. However, phenylephrine did not show an effect. The inhibitory effect of epinephrine was blocked by yohimbine (50 nM) but not by prazosin (50 nM). In isolated perfused terminal IMCDs, epinephrine inhibited AVP-stimulated urea permeability. Isoproterenol (1 microM), in the absence of AVP, caused a significant increase in cAMP level only in the initial IMCD. Propranolol (1 microM) inhibited this isoproterenol effect, but atenolol did not. Dopamine (less than or equal to 1 microM) had no effect on cAMP levels in either IMCD segment. Carbachol, PGE2, and the various peptide hormones had no effect on cAMP levels (+/- AVP) in either IMCD segment. We conclude that an adrenergic beta 2-receptor is present only in the initial IMCD, where its occupation increases cAMP production. We conclude also that an adrenergic alpha 2-receptor is present in both IMCD segments, where its occupation inhibits AVP-induced cAMP production.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Regulation of Na&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt;/K&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt;-ATPase by Corticosteroids in Cultured Renal Medullary Collecting Duct

Distinct subsegments of the inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) have previously been delineated by morphological studies; specifically, basal plasma membrane area (mm²/mm³) decreases from the initial to the terminal segment. The present work measures Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity in monolayer cultures of defined IMCD subsegmental cell populations to directly evaluate the regulation by corticosteroids of the primary active ion transport enzyme. Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity was determined by enzymatic coupling of ATP hydrolysis, and the subsequent increase in ADP, to the appearance of the highly fluorescent form of NAD with alkali treatment. Basal, noninduced Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activities (pmol/min/µg of protein) were: initial IMCD (IMCD_i; 0-50% of total length) 10.3 ± 1.00; middle IMCD (IMCD_m; 50–75%) 7.2 ± 0.55; terminal IMCD (IMCD_t; 75–100%) 6.4 ± 0.53. Aldosterone increased Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity in IMCD_i and IMCD_m monolayer cultures by 90 and 65 %, respectively, after 48 h of incubation. Dexamethasone increased the enzyme activity in IMCD_i and IMCD_m by 78 and 85%, respectively. These data indicate that IMCD subsegmental cell populations in monolayer culture express Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activities corresponding to the in vivo profile of surface density of the basal plasma membrane area; they demonstrate that the enzyme activity is regulated in vitro by aldosterone and dexamethasone, particularly in the initial and upper terminal segments of the IMCD.

RT-PCR microlocalization of mRNA for guanylyl cyclase-coupled ANF receptor in rat kidney

Microlocalization of mRNA coding for the guanylyl cyclase-coupled atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) receptor was carried out in the rat kidney. We used a combination of reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in individual microdissected renal tubule segments, glomeruli, and vasa recta bundles. Relative quantitation of the resulting amplified cDNA utilized densitometry of autoradiograms from Southern blots probed with a specific 32P-labeled probe. Among renal tubule segments, the largest signal was found in the terminal inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD). Slightly smaller signals were found in the initial IMCD and in loop of Henle segments from the inner medulla. Readily detectable signals were also seen in the following segments (in descending order): cortical collecting duct, proximal convoluted tubule, medullary thick ascending limb, cortical thick ascending limb, distal convoluted tubule, and outer medullary collecting duct. Large signals were also detected in glomeruli and in vasa recta bundles from the inner stripe of the outer medulla. Based on these results, we conclude that 1) renal microlocalization of specific mRNAs coding for hormone receptors is feasible through application of the RT-PCR procedure in microdissected renal tubules and vascular elements, and 2) the gene for the guanylyl cyclase-coupled ANF receptor is broadly expressed along the nephron, raising the possibility that multiple sites of ANF action are present.

Regulation of collecting duct water permeability independent of cAMP-mediated AVP response.

We have used the isolated perfused tubule technique, measurements of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) content in single tubules, and freeze-fracture electron microscopy to study the basis of high vasopressin-independent (basal) osmotic water permeability (Pf) in the terminal inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) of the rat. The results confirmed the observation that the basal Pf of the terminal IMCD is considerably higher than that of the initial IMCD. They also showed that the basal Pf of the terminal IMCD is regulated by in vivo factors related to water intake, such that a very high vasopressin-independent Pf can be induced in isolated tubules by prior in vivo thirsting. Tubules from thirsted rats did not display elevated urea permeabilities, nor did they exhibit measurable cAMP levels in the absence of exogenous vasopressin, indicating that the high basal Pf was not due to residual binding of vasopressin to its receptors. Freeze-fracture studies in thirsted rats demonstrated the presence of intramembrane particle (IMP) clusters in both initial and terminal IMCD, with more in the latter. Water loading of the rats suppressed the incidence of clusters almost entirely but did not fully suppress the basal Pf in the terminal IMCD, raising the possibility that a component of transepithelial water transport may occur independently of the vasopressin-regulated IMP clusters. On the basis of these results, we conclude that the vasopressin-independent Pf in the terminal IMCD can be stably elevated to very high levels in response to in vivo thirsting. This elevation appears to be due to a chronic conditioning effect mediated by unknown in vivo factors and is not due to the short-term cAMP-mediated regulatory effect of vasopressin.

Distribution of luminal carbonic anhydrase activity along rat inner medullary collecting duct

The isolated perfused tubule technique was utilized to determine whether endogenous luminal carbonic anhydrase is present in the initial or terminal parts of the inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) of the rat. This was accomplished by measuring the luminal disequilibrium pH in the presence of a large luminal proton source created by perfusing the lumen with a solution containing 10 mM NH4Cl. (NH3 efflux causes H+ to be released from NH+4 in the lumen). The disequilibrium pH was calculated by subtracting the equilibrium pH from the measured pH at the end of the tubule lumen. The end-luminal equilibrium pH was calculated from the total CO2 concentration in the collected fluid, as measured by microcalorimetry. The end-luminal pH was determined by measuring the fluorescent signal from the the pH-sensitive dye 2',7'-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein (BCECF), which was added to the luminal perfusate in its nonesterified form. In the initial IMCD, there was no measurable disequilibrium pH. With the addition of the carbonic anhydrase inhibitor acetazolamide to the luminal fluid, a significant acidic pH disequilibrium was elicited. In the terminal IMCD under control conditions a statistically significant acidic disequilibrium pH was measured. The disequilibrium was obliterated when exogenous carbonic anhydrase was added to the luminal perfusate. These findings were verified by measuring total ammonia flux by ultramicrofluorometry. The results demonstrate endogenous luminal carbonic anhydrase activity in the initial IMCD but a lack of enzyme activity in the terminal IMCD.

Factors governing sodium and chloride transport across the inner medullary collecting duct

Based on topographical, morphological and physiological characteristics, the three portions of the collecting duct system are the cortical collecting tubule (CCT), the outer medullary collecting duct (OMCD) and the inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD). The IMCD is a direct continuation of the OMCD and extends from the junction between the outer and inner medulla to the tip of the papilla. Also, due to the morphological differences observed along the IMCD, Madsen and Tisher [1] recently have proposed a subdivision of the IMCD into three portions as the outer third (IMCD1), middle third (IMCD2) and inner third (IMCD3), despite there being no abrupt divisions between the three segments. The cells of IMCD1 are similar to the intercalated cells and principal cells of the OMCD. In the rat the intercalated cells constitute approximately 10% of the cells in the IMCD1. However, in most of the IMCD2 and the entire IMCD3 there is only one cell type which appears to be different from both principal and intercalated cells of the OMCD [1]. The functional differences between IMCD1 and the terminal two segment portions of IMCD were initially demonstrated by Sands and Knepper [2]. They showed that IMCD2 and IMCD3 exhibit similar permeabilities to urea, whereas significant differences were demonstrated between IMCD1 and the terminal IMCD (IMCD2 and IMCD3). Differences related to the trans-epithelial potential have been also described between these segments. Stanton [3] has recently demonstrated the presence of small lumen-negative PD (-2.2 ± 0.3 mV) in the initial part of IMCD obtained from Brattleboro rats. Previous results from our laboratory [4] which did not take into account the three portions of IMCD, showed that the PD was not significantly different from zero (0.7 ± 0.2 mV) throughout the length of the IMCD. These observations led us to compare the transepithelial PD observed in the IMCD with the middle (IMCD2) and distal parts (IMCD3) of Wistar rats. Our results confirmed the presence of a slightly lumen-negative PD in the initial segments which differed significantly from the slightly lumen-positive voltage observed in the middle third and distal portion of IMCD (Fig. 1). Sands, Nonoguchi and Knepper [5] showed under basal conditions that the ratio between apparent Na + and Cl - permeabilities (P Na , P Cl ) was significantly higher in the initial IMCD than in the terminal IMCD. Thus, the IMCD can be subdivided into two distinct subsegments, the initial IMCD or IMCD1 and the terminal IMCD (IMCD 2+3 ). The morphological and physiological observations demonstrate that the various mechanisms and factors that govern the remarkable reabsorptive capacity for Na + and Cl - observed in the IMCD by free flow micropuncture [6] and in vivo micro-catheterization [7] should be analyzed in each IMCD segment by in vitro microperfusion or cell suspension.

Vasopressin effects on urea and H2O transport in inner medullary collecting duct subsegments.

The inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) is widely viewed as a single renal tubule segment with homogeneous properties. However, recent morphological and functional studies have raised the possibility that the initial and terminal parts of the IMCD may differ. To test this possibility further and to localize sites of action of arginine vasopressin (AVP) along the IMCD, we measured osmotic water permeability (Pf) and urea permeability (Purea) in isolated perfused rat IMCDs. In the initial third of the IMCD, 10 nM AVP increased Pf from 16 +/- 8 to 148 +/- 50 micron/s. The terminal two-thirds of the IMCD had a significantly higher basal Pf (70 +/- 12 micron/s), which increased to 186 +/- 25 micron/s with AVP. The initial IMCD had a relatively low basal Purea (3 +/- 1 X 10(-5) cm/s), which did not change with AVP. The terminal IMCD had a significantly higher basal Purea (17 +/- 4 X 10(-5) cm/s), which increased to a very high value (69 +/- 15 X 10(-5) cm/s) with AVP. The results support the premise that (from the point of view of vasopressin effects on water and urea transport) there are two functionally distinct parts of the inner medullary collecting duct: an initial part that resembles the cortical or outer medullary portions of the mammalian collecting duct and a terminal part that resembles the toad urinary bladder. The significance of these findings for the urinary concentrating mechanism is discussed.