Calcitriol-dependent Ca²⁺ transport across epithelia is considered to consist of 3 steps: a passive apical entry of Ca²⁺ via Ca²⁺channels, a cytosolic diffusion process mediated by calbindins and an active extrusion at the basolateral membrane via ATPase-dependent pumps. To study the tissue specific expression of the two epithelial calcium channels known to be crucial for transcellular Ca²⁺-transport, namely TRPV5 and TRPV6, we used non-radioactive in situ hybridization with RNA transcripts on sections of ovine abomasum, duodenum, jejunum, rumen and kidney. The highest expression of TRPV5 was found in the small intestines. In the kidney, transcripts were detected in the epithelia of proximal and distal tubules, which is not in agreement with data from rabbit, mouse and rat. However, we could also detect TRPV5 mRNA in the abomasum, especially in the deeper regions of the gastric glands. These findings could be confirmed at least partly by immuno-histochemistry. In the ruminal epithelium, mRNA transcripts of both channels were expressed at a rather low level throughout the entire epithelium, but protein could not be detected. The highest expression of TRPV6 was measured in duodenum and abomasum, the lowest in the kidney. These results point to an additional role for TRPV5 and TRPV6 besides their direct involvement in transepithelial Ca²⁺-transport.