Gentamicin-induced decreases in glomerular filtration rate have been associated with a marked decline in the glomerular capillary ultrafiltration coefficient which could be mediated by mesangial cell contraction or release of vasoactive hormones. We studied the effect of gentamicin on mesangial cells proliferation, contraction and Ca2+ mobilization. Moreover, we attempted to assess a possible r...

Glomerular hypertension and glomerular hypertrophy act early and synergistically to promote glomerular injury in diabetes. We have previously shown that increased renal kinin production contributes to the glomerular hemodynamic abnormalities associated with diabetes. Glomerulosclerosis, characterized by mesangial cell proliferation and matrix expansion, is the final pathway leading to renal fai...

To elucidate the mechanisms of the cell cycle of mesangial cells, adenovirus vectors containing coding sequences of cyclin D1 (AxCAD1), p16INK4 (AxCAp16) and p21Cip1 (AxCAp21) were produced and investigated to determine whether transfer of these genes changes serum- and PDGF-induced proliferation of rat mesangial cells. Efficiency of the transfer of the genes was examined by Northern and Wester...

Accumulation of mesangial matrix is a pivotal event in the pathophysiology of diabetic nephropathy. The molecular triggers for matrix production are still being defined. Here, suppression subtractive hybridization identified 15 genes differentially induced when primary human mesangial cells are exposed to high glucose (30 mM versus 5 mM) in vitro. These genes included (a) known regulators of me...

Some proteases possess a membrane receptor that focalizes their proteolytic activity on the cell surface and may mediate a proliferative effect, such as urokinase on glomerular epithelial cells. Since some hypertensive states are associated with high concentrations of renin and proliferation of arteriolar smooth muscle cells, we asked whether renin, an aspartyl-protease, would bind to mesangial...

The expression of the two cytoskeletal linking proteins, moesin and radixin, was examined in experimental mesangial proliferative nephritis in rats (anti-Thy1 model). Moesin and radixin mRNA and protein are constitutively expressed in all cell types of normal rat glomeruli, except podocytes. In the anti-Thy1 model the expression of moesin and radixin was increased in infiltrating macrophages an...

Mesangial cell (MC) proliferation is essential for the pathogenesis and progression of various glomerular diseases. This study shows that glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and IL-10 are mesangial autocrine growth factors that play a pivotal role in rat MC proliferation in vitro. Downstream targets of GDNF signaling and their role in MC hyperplasia are identified. The phosphatid...

Lewis rats were given a single i.v. injection of soluble immune complexes containing human serum albumin (HSA) and rabbit anti-HSA antibodies, prepared in antigen excess. This resulted in localization of HSA and rabbit gamma globulin (RGG) in glomerular mesangial regions without producing definite histologic changes. 24 h after the injection of immune complexes, groups of these rats received ly...

Proliferation of resident glomerular cells and the accumulation of mesangial matrix are histologic abnormalities which are observed in the course of many progressive glomerular diseases. We explored the potential regulatory effects of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) on these processes. We found that cultured mouse glomerular endothelial, mesangial, and epithelial cells as well as iso...

Activated macrophages (M(phi)) isolated from inflamed glomeruli or generated by interferon-gamma and lipopolysaccharide treatment in vitro induce glomerular mesangial cell apoptosis by hitherto incompletely understood mechanisms. In this report we demonstrate that nitric oxide-independent killing of co-cultured mesangial cells by interferon-gamma/lipopolysaccharide-activated M(phi) is suppresse...