In the rabbit, calcitonin has been shown to enhance calcium (Ca2+) reabsorption in the early distal tubule. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mechanism of this action, using isolated luminal and basolateral membranes of distal tubules. The tubule suspensions were preincubated in the presence or absence of 10(-7) M calcitonin. The luminal or basolateral membranes were subsequently purified and 45Ca transport through the vesicles was measured using the rapid filtration technique. Results were compared with those obtained from proximal tubule membranes. In the proximal tubules, calcitonin had no effect on Ca2+ uptake by luminal membranes. In the distal tubules, the presence of Na+ in the incubation medium strongly decreased the uptake of Ca2+ by luminal membranes. Preincubation of distal tubules with calcitonin partially restored this uptake. We previously reported a dual kinetics of Ca2+ uptake by the distal luminal membranes. Calcitonin enhanced Ca2+ transport by the low affinity component, increasing the Vmax and leaving the K(m) unchanged. Renal calcitonin receptors usually couple to both adenylate cyclase and phospholipase C. To determine through which messenger(s) calcitonin enhances Ca2+ transport by the distal tubules, we first confirmed that the hormone stimulates cAMP and IP3 release. Incubation of the distal tubules with 10(-7) M calcitonin significantly increased both messengers. In contrast, calcitonin did not influence the IP3 nor the cAMP content of proximal tubules. Therefore, we studied the actions of cAMP and phorbol 12-myristate 13 acetate (PMA) on Ca2+ transport by the distal luminal membranes. Incubation of distal tubule suspensions with dibutyryl cAMP significantly increased Ca2+ uptake by the luminal membranes. However, incubation of these tubules with various concentrations of PMA (10 nM, 100 nM and 1 microM) had no effect on this uptake. Calcitonin also influenced Ca2+ transport by the distal basolateral membrane. Incubation of distal tubule suspensions with 10(-7) M calcitonin activated the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger activity, almost doubling the Na+ dependent Ca2+ uptake. Here again this action was mimicked by cAMP. We conclude that calcitonin increases Ca2+ transport by the distal tubule through two mechanisms: the opening of low affinity Ca2+ channels in the luminal membrane and the stimulation of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger in the basolateral membrane, both actions depending on the activation of adenylate cyclase.

We previously reported that parathyroid hormone and calcitonin increase Ca2+ uptake by purified distal luminal membranes. This effect is mimicked by high concentrations of cAMP. However, both hormones stimulate adenylate cyclase and phospholipase C. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of the phospholipase C pathway in the hormone action, and the interrelationship between the two messengers. Distal tubules from rabbit kidneys were incubated with dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP) or PMA, or both, and Ca2+ uptake by purified luminal membranes was measured by the rapid filtration technique. Incubation of the distal tubules with 1 mM dbcAMP significantly increased Ca2+ transport by the luminal membranes. A dose-response curve showed a half-maximal stimulation with 0.82 mM dbcAMP. In contrast, treatment of the tubules with 10 nM, 100 nM or 1 microM PMA did not influence Ca2+ uptake by these membranes. However, the addition of 100 nM PMA to low concentrations of dbcAMP strongly increased this uptake. The presence of cAMP or protein kinase C inhibitors prevented the effects of either a high concentration of dbcAMP alone or a low concentration of dbcAMP combined with 100 nM PMA. Our laboratory has already reported that Ca2+ uptake by the distal luminal membranes displays two-component kinetics. dbcAMP increased the Vmax of the low-affinity component, whereas a combination of the two messengers stimulated the Vmax of both the low- and high-affinity components. From these results, we conclude that: (1) in the distal tubule cells, activation of both protein kinases A and C is necessary for the stimulation of Ca2+ transport by the luminal membrane; (2) the combined effect of protein kinases A and C involves both components of the Ca2+-transport kinetics.

The natural product ferutinin was shown to act as an agonist to estrogen receptor ERα and agonist/antagonist to ERβ featuring a weak antiproliferative activity toward breast cancer cells. To enhance this activity, ferutinin analogues were synthesized by esterification of jaeschkenadiol with different acids. These compounds were assayed for their in vitro antiproliferative activity against estrogen-dependent (MCF-7) and estrogen-independent (MDA-MB-231) breast cancer cell lines. Among the compounds, 3c' exhibited a potent inhibitory selective activity against MCF-7 with IC50 value of 1 μM. Docking simulation of 3c' in the ligand binding domain of the ERs indicated a potential antagonism interaction with both ER subtypes. Functional assay showed that 3c' binds as an antagonist to ERα protein while ferutinin acts as an agonist.

The filtered calcium (Ca²⁺) is reabsorbed by the luminal membrane of the proximal and distal nephron. Ca²⁺ enters cells across apical plasma membranes along a steep electrochemical gradient, through Ca²⁺ channels. Regulation by various hormones implies several steps, including binding of these hormones to the basolateral membrane, interaction with G proteins, liberation of messengers, activation of kinases and finally opening of the channels at the opposite pole of the cells. In the present study, we examined whether the Ca²⁺ entry through the luminal membranes of proximal and distal tubules is also regulated by G proteins, by a membrane-limited process. Luminal membranes were purified from rabbit proximal and distal tubule suspensions, and their vesicles were loaded with GTPγs or the carrier. Then, the ⁴⁵Ca²⁺ uptake by these membrane vesicles was measured in the presence and absence of 100 mM NaCl. In the absence of Na⁺, intravesicular GTPγs significantly enhanced 0.5 mM Ca²⁺ uptake by the proximal membrane vesicles from 0.53 ± 0.06 to 0.72 ± 0.06 pmol/µg/10 s (p < 0.05). In the presence of Na⁺, however, this effect disappeared. In the distal tubules, intravesicular GTPγs increased 0.5 mM Ca²⁺ uptake in the absence (from 0.57 ± 0.02 to 0.79 ± 0.02 pmol/µg/10 s, p < 0.02) and in the presence (from 0.36 ± 0.03 to 0.55 ± 0.03 pmol/µg/10 s, p < 0.02) of Na⁺. The action of GTPγs, when present, was dose dependent with a half-maximal effect at 20 µM. The distal luminal membrane is the site of two Ca²⁺ channels with different kinetics parameters. GTPγs increased the V_max value of the low-affinity component exclusively, in the presence as in the absence of Na⁺. Finally, Ca²⁺ uptake by the membranes of the two segments was differently influenced by toxins: cholera toxin slightly stimulated transport by the proximal membrane, but had no influence on the distal membrane, whereas pertussis toxin decreased the cation uptake by the distal tubule membrane exclusively. We conclude that the nature of Ca²⁺ channels differs in the proximal and distal luminal membranes: Ca²⁺ channels present in the proximal tubule and the low-affinity Ca²⁺ channels present in the distal tubule membranes are directly regulated by Gs and Gi proteins respectively, whereas the high-affinity Ca²⁺ channel in the distal tubule membrane is insensitive to any of them.

Calcium (Ca(2+)) transport by the distal tubule (DT) luminal membrane is regulated by the parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitonin (CT) through the action of messengers, protein kinases, and ATP as the phosphate donor. In this study, we questioned whether ATP itself, when directly applied to the cytosolic surface of the membrane could influence the Ca(2+) channels previously detected in this membrane. We purified the luminal membranes of rabbit proximal (PT) and DT separately and measured Ca(2+) uptake by these vesicles loaded with ATP or the carrier. The presence of 100 microM ATP in the DT membrane vesicles significantly enhanced 0.5 mM Ca(2+) uptake from 0.57 +/- 0.02 to 0.71 +/- 0.02 pmol/microg per 10 sec (P < 0. 01) in the absence of Na(+) and from 0.36 +/- 0.03 to 0.59 +/- 0.01 pmol/microg per 10 sec (P < 0.01) in the presence of 100 mM Na(+). This effect was dose dependent with an EC(50) value of approximately 40 microM. ATP action involved the high-affinity component of Ca(2+) transport, decreasing the Km from 0.08 +/- 0.01 to 0.04 +/- 0.01 mM (P< 0.02). Replacement of the nucleotide by the nonhydrolyzable ATPgammas abolished this action. Because ATP has been reported to be necessary for cytoskeleton integrity, we also investigated the effect of intravesicular cytochalasin on Ca(2+) transport. Inclusion of 20 microM cytochalasin B decreased 0.5 mM Ca(2+) uptake from 0.33 +/- 0.01 to 0.15 +/- 0.01 pmol/microg per 10 sec (P< 0.01). However, when both 100 microM ATP and 20 microM cytochalasin were present in the vesicles, the uptake was not different from that observed with ATP alone. Neither ATP nor cytochalasin had any influence on Ca(2+) uptake by the PT luminal membrane. We conclude that the high-affinity Ca(2+) channel of the DT luminal membrane is regulated by ATP and that ATP plays a crucial role in the integrity of the cytoskeleton which is also involved in the control of Ca(2+) channels within this membrane.