A new stable epithelial cell line (RK-L) from normal rat kidney.

A stable epithelial cell line has been established from the kidneys of a normal Sprague-Dawley rat. This line, termed RK-L, has a high proliferative capacity (minimal doubling time 12.3 h) and can be grown in medium containing 1% fetal bovine serum. Thus far, the line has been carried through more than 60 serial passages. The RK-L cells were found to display similarities with kidney tubule cells. Using light microscopy, confluent cultures were seen as pavement-like monolayers forming domes, which are thought to result from transepithelial fluid transport. Electron microscopy revealed polarized cells that had microvilli on the apical surface, junction complexes in the apical part of the lateral cell membrane, and a basal lamina-like layer. Pinocytotic activity was indicated by infoldings of the apical plasma membrane and the formation of vesicles. The RK-L line should prove useful for investigations of kidney tubule transport mechanisms.