2001.-The effect of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and activation of protein kinase C (PKC) and protein kinase A (PKA) on transepithelial Pi transport was examined in monolayers of chick proximal tubule cells in primary culture (PTCs). Acute exposure of the PTCs to PTH (10 Ϫ9 M, basolateral side) significantly decreased the net reabsorption of Pi by ϳ66%. There was no effect after the addition of PTH to the luminal side. Activation of PKC by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA; 0.1 M) dramatically decreased net P i reabsorption by ϳ60%. Bisindolylmaleimide I (BIM; 1 M), a highly selective PKC inhibitor, prevented PMA-induced inhibition. Activation of adenylate cyclase/PKA by forskolin (10 M) mimicked the effect of PTH by significantly reducing net P i reabsorption by one-half. Addition of H-89 (10 M), a potent inhibitor of PKA, abolished forskolin-induced inhibition. PTH inhibition was blocked by either BIM or H-89. Tissue electrophysiology remained stable after all treatments. There was a decreased immunoreactivity of the luminal Na ϩ -Pi cotransporter NaPi-IIa after PTH treatment. These data indicate that PTH inhibition of Pi reabsorption in this in vitro system is mediated by PKC and PKA. primary cultures; reabsorptive flux; secretory flux; luminal sodium-inorganic phosphate cotransporter NaPi-IIa; protein kinase C; protein kinase A THE STUDY OF RENAL FUNCTION in birds and other nonmammalian vertebrates has provided valuable insights into the regulation of renal phosphate (P i ) excretion. In mammals, filtration and reabsorption provide sufficient control of P i excretion; however, in birds, which generally have lower and more variable glomerular filtration rates (46), the capacity for net tubular P i secretion has been reported (3). P i can be excreted by the avian kidney in quantities severalfold higher than the filtered load (21). Because avian kidneys possess this additional level of control for renal P i handling, comparative studies of its regulation should further our understanding of P i homeostasis.In both the avian and mammalian renal proximal tubule, P i reabsorption occurs via secondary, Na ϩ -dependent electroneutral transport across the luminal membrane [brush-border membrane (BBM)] (15, 34) coupled to an undefined exit process in the basolateral membrane (BLM) (1). In both mammals and birds, parathyroid hormone (PTH) has been found to be the major regulator of this process (28,24). PTH decreases BBM Na ϩ -P i cotransport activity in both mammals and birds and, in the latter, additionally stimulates net P i secretion (1, 34), which likely occurs through a unique Na ϩ -independent, voltage-and K ϩ -dependent transporter in the BBM (1, 35).Studies with the opossum kidney cell line (OK cells) have shown that PTH exerts its effects through activation of both protein kinase A (PKA) and protein kinase C (PKC) (7, 32), resulting in inhibition of BBM Na ϩ -P i cotransport. Other studies indicated the phosphaturic effect of PTH involves endocytic retrieval followed by lysosomal degradation of the BBM Na ϩ -P...