OBJECTIVE Over-proliferation of mesangial cells is the major pathological change of mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN). PTEN-PI3K/AKT pathway plays a role in regulating proliferation of mesangial cells. Anti-thymocyte serum nephritis (ATSN) is a widely used animal model for studying MPGN. This study established ATSN model, on which the role of PTEN-PI3K/AKT signal pathway in MPGN...

BACKGROUND Gas6 is a growth factor that causes proliferation of mesangial cells in the development of glomerulonephritis. Gas6 can bind to three kinds of receptors; Axl, Dtk, and Mer. However, their expression and functions are not entirely clear in the different glomerular cell types. Meanwhile, representative cell cycle regulatory protein p27 has been reported to be expressed in podocytes in ...

OBJECTIVE Key features of diabetic nephropathy include the accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins. In recent studies, increased expression of type VIII collagen in the glomeruli and tubulointerstitium of diabetic kidneys has been noted. The objectives of this study were to assess whether type VIII collagen affects the development of diabetic nephropathy and to determine type VIII collage...

In the last two decades, the ability of mesangial cells to respond to various stimuli or injurious agents by altering their phenotype and function has become recognized. The plasticity of these mesangial cells has been linked to the morphological and functional alterations responsible for the pathologic findings. Many of the glomerular disorders target the mesangium as the primary and/or initia...

αvβ8-Integrin is most abundantly expressed in the kidney, brain, and female reproductive organs, and its cognate ligand is latent transforming growth factor (LTGF)-β. Kidney αvβ8-integrin localizes to mesangial cells, and global β8-integrin gene (Itgb8) deletion results in embryonic lethality due to impaired placentation and cerebral hemorrhage. To circumvent the lethality and better define kid...

Renal disease is a common complication of diabetes. The initiating events in diabetic nephropathy are triggered by hyperglycemia and, possibly, advanced glycation end products. Subsequently, excess levels of vasoactive peptides (especially endothelin-1 (ET-1)) accumulate in the diabetic kidney, and there is evidence that these peptides mediate many of the pathophysiological changes associated w...

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3(1,25(OH)2 D3) is a secosteroid with antiproliferative property. It also plays a pivotal renoprotective role in diabetic nephropathy. We investigated whether 1,25(OH)2D3 could inhibit the proliferation of rat mesangial cells exposed to high glucose via the DNA-damage-inducible transcript 4/mammalian target of rapamycin(DDIT4/mTOR) pathway. The cell proliferation rate and...