db/db小鼠糖尿病肾病相关基因的分析和克隆

用GM-U74A基因芯片分别检测了正常对照组（db/m小鼠）、糖尿病肾病组（db/db小鼠）、大黄酸治疗组（大黄酸150 mg/kg治疗12周）肾脏基因表达谱.发现在12 437个基因（包括表达序列标签）中,与正常对照组相比,糖尿病肾病组有1 085个基因表达下调,37个基因表达上调,其中变化幅度大于2倍,表达下调的有166个和表达上调的有29个.与糖尿病肾病组相比,大黄酸治疗组有384个基因表达下调,155个表达上调,其中变化幅度大于2倍,表达下调的有47个和表达上调的有30个.在此基础上,对其中的一个差异表达的表达序列标签(EST)进行了详细的生物信息学分析,发现它是一个未知功能基因——“REKEN cDNA 0610006H10”基因的一部分.在用RT-PCR进一步验证了其与糖尿病肾病的相关性后,对“REKEN cDNA 0610006H10”基因进行了克隆.     

糖尿病肾病患者血浆NGAL和血清CysC水平改变及其早期诊断价值

目的:研究糖尿病肾病(DN)患者血浆中性粒细胞明胶酶相关脂质运载蛋白(NGAL)和血清胱抑素C(CysC)水平变化,分析其对DN的早期诊断价值。方法:选取160例糖尿病(DM)患者按尿微量白蛋白排泄率(UAER)分为DN前期组58例(A组),DN早期组52例(B组)及DN临床组50例(C组),同期选择健康体检者61例为对照组(D组)。比较四组受试者血中NGAL、CysC、尿素氮(BUN)和血肌酐(CREA),及尿中微量清蛋白(UMA)水平的差异,分析血NGAL、CysC与UMA之间的相关关系。结果:(1)A、B、C组受试者NGAL、CysC及UMA水平显著高于D组,且CBA,差异均有统计学意义(P0.05);C组BUN和CREA水平均明显高于A、B、D三组,差异均有统计学意义(P0.05),而A、B组较D组均无统计学差异(P0.05)。(2)血NGAL、CysC与尿UMA均存在正相关关系(r=0.59,0.64;P均0.05)。结论:DN早期患者血浆NGAL与血清CysC水平显著升高,且二者均与尿UMA水平存在正相关关系,可作为评价肾脏损害程度及DN早期诊断的较敏感的生物学标志物,临床推荐应用。     

线粒体功能障碍在糖尿病肾病进展的作用

糖尿病肾病是糖尿病微血管并发症之一,亦是引起终末期肾脏病的主要原因。目前各种临床治疗手段并没有阻止糖尿病肾病患者肾功能的进行性减退。因此,当务之急是进一步研究糖尿病肾病的发病机制,并从中寻找新的治疗靶点。大量研究结果显示线粒体功能障碍在糖尿病肾病的发生发展过程中具有重要作用。正常线粒体功能的维持依赖于多方面因素的共同参与,如线粒体质量控制机制、线粒体DNA等。这篇综述回顾了关于线粒体与糖尿病肾病相关文献,阐述线粒体功能障碍在糖尿病肾病进展中可能的作用。     

坎地沙坦联合贝那普利治疗糖尿病肾病并高血压患者的临床研究

目的:探索坎地沙坦联合贝那普利治疗糖尿病肾病(DN)并高血压患者的临床疗效。方法:选择2012年7月至2014年9月我院接收的DN合并高血压患者135例,按照随机数表法将患者分成坎地沙坦组(口服8 mg/d坎地沙坦)、贝那普利组(口服10mg/d贝那普利)和联合用药组(口服8 mg/d坎地沙坦和10 mg/d贝那普利)三组,每组45例,连续治疗12周。比较三组患者治疗前后收缩压(SBP)、舒张压(DBP)、24 h尿微量清蛋白排泄频率(24 h UAER)、尿素氮(BUN)、血钾水平(K+)、血清肌酐(Scr)、肌酐清除率(Ccr)、空腹血糖(FPG)指标变化及不良反应发生率。结果:与治疗前相比,治疗后各组患者的SBP、DBP、24 h UAER及BUN、Scr、Ccr、FPG均显著下降(均P0.05),且联合用药组患者的上述各指标水平明显低于坎地沙坦组和贝那普利组(均P0.05);联合用药组不良反应发生率低于其他两组,但是三组之间差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:坎地沙坦联合贝那普利可以有效改善DN并高血压患者的血压情况及尿蛋白水平,改善患者的肾脏功能,且疗效优于单药治疗,对于临床用药有指导意义。     

The diabetic rat kidney mediates inosituria and selective urinary partitioning of D-chiro-inositol

Diabetic nephropathy is a serious complication of diabetes mellitus with a pressing need for effective metabolic markers to detect renal impairment. Of potential significance are the inositol compounds, myo-inositol (MI), and the less abundant stereoisomer, D-chiro-inositol (DCI), which are excreted at increased levels in the urine in diabetes mellitus, a phenomenon known as inosituria. There is also a selective urinary excretion of DCI compared to MI. As the biological origins of altered inositol metabolism in diabetes mellitus are unknown, the aim of this study was to determine whether the diabetic kidney was directly responsible. Kidneys isolated from four-week streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were characterized by a 3-fold reduction in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) compared to matched non-diabetic kidneys. When perfused with fixed quantities of MI (50 µM) and DCI (5 µM) under normoglycemic conditions (5 mM glucose), GFR-normalized urinary excretion of MI was increased by 1.7-fold in diabetic vs. non-diabetic kidneys. By comparison, GFR-normalized urinary excretion of DCI was increased by 4-fold. Perfusion conditions replicating hyperglycemia (20 mM glucose) potentiated DCI but not MI urinary excretion in both non-diabetic and diabetic kidneys. Overall, there was a 2.4-fold increase in DCI urinary excretion compared to MI in diabetic kidneys that was independent of glucose ambience. This increased urinary excretion of DCI and MI in diabetic kidneys occurred despite increased renal expression of the inositol transporters, sodium myo-inositol transporter subtype 1 and 2 (SMIT1 and SMIT2). These findings show that the diabetic kidney primarily mediates inosituria and altered urinary partitioning of MI and DCI. Urinary inositol levels might therefore serve as an indicator of impaired renal function in diabetes mellitus with wider implications for monitoring chronic kidney disease.     

Endothelial cell and podocyte autophagy synergistically protect from diabetes-induced glomerulosclerosis

The glomerulus is a highly specialized capillary tuft, which under pressure filters large amounts of water and small solutes into the urinary space, while retaining albumin and large proteins. The glomerular filtration barrier (GFB) is a highly specialized filtration interface between blood and urine that is highly permeable to small and midsized solutes in plasma but relatively impermeable to macromolecules such as albumin. The integrity of the GFB is maintained by molecular interplay between its 3 layers: the glomerular endothelium, the glomerular basement membrane and podocytes, which are highly specialized postmitotic pericytes forming the outer part of the GFB. Abnormalities of glomerular ultrafiltration lead to the loss of proteins in urine and progressive renal insufficiency, underlining the importance of the GFB. Indeed, albuminuria is strongly predictive of the course of chronic nephropathies especially that of diabetic nephropathy (DN), a leading cause of renal insufficiency. We found that high glucose concentrations promote autophagy flux in podocyte cultures and that the abundance of LC3B II in podocytes is high in diabetic mice. Deletion of Atg5 specifically in podocytes resulted in accelerated diabetes-induced podocytopathy with a leaky GFB and glomerulosclerosis. Strikingly, genetic alteration of autophagy on the other side of the GFB involving the endothelial-specific deletion of Atg5 also resulted in capillary rarefaction and accelerated DN. Thus autophagy is a key protective mechanism on both cellular layers of the GFB suggesting autophagy as a promising new therapeutic strategy for DN.     

RhoA/rho kinase signaling reduces connexin43 expression in high glucose-treated glomerular mesangial cells with zonula occludens-1 involvement

RhoA/Rho kinase (ROCK) signaling has been suggested to be involved in diabetic nephropathy (DN) pathogenesis. Altered expression of connexin43 (Cx43) has been found in kidneys of diabetic animals. Both of them have been found to regulate nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) activation in high glucose-treated glomerular mesangial cells (GMCs). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between RhoA/ROCK signaling and Cx43 in the DN pathogenesis. We found that upregulation of Cx43 expression inhibited NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation induced by RhoA/ROCK signaling in GMCs. Inhibition of RhoA/ROCK signaling attenuated the high glucose-induced decrease in Cx43. F-actin accumulation and an enhanced interaction between zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and Cx43 were observed in high glucose-treated GMCs. ZO-1 depletion or disruption of F-actin formation also inhibited the reduction in Cx43 protein levels induced by high glucose. In conclusion, activated RhoA/ROCK signaling induces Cx43 degradation in GMCs cultured in high glucose, depending on F-actin regulation. Increased F-actin induced by RhoA/ROCK signaling promotes the association between ZO-1 and Cx43, which possibly triggered Cx43 endocytosis, a mechanism of NF-κB activation in high glucose-treated GMCs.     

Polyomavirus BK-encoded microRNA suppresses autoregulation of viral replication

Polyomavirus BK (BKV) infection is an important cause of renal allograft failure. Viral microRNAs are known to play a crucial role in viral replication. This study investigated the expression of BKV-encoded microRNAs (miR-B1) in patients with polyomavirus-associated nephropathy (PVAN) and their role in viral replication. Following BKV infection in renal proximal tubular cells, the 3p and 5p miR-B1 levels were significantly increased. Cells transfected with the vector containing the miR-B1 precursor (the miR-B1 vector) showed a significant increase in expression of 3p and 5p miR-B1 and decrease in luciferase activity of a reporter containing the 3p and 5p miR-B1 binding sites, compared to cells transfected with the miR-B1-mutated vector. Transfection of the miR-B1 expression vector or the 3p and 5p miR-B1 oligonucleotides inhibited expression of TAg. TAg-enhanced promoter activity and BKV replication were inhibited by miR-B1. In contrast, inhibition of miR-B1 expression by addition of miR-B1 antagomirs or silencing of Dicer upregulated the expression of TAg and VP1 proteins in BKV-infected cells. Importantly, patients with PVAN had significantly higher levels of 3p and 5p miR-B1 compared to renal transplant patients without PVAN. In conclusion, we demonstrated that (1) miR-B1 expression was upregulated during BKV infection and (2) miR-B1 suppressed TAg-mediated autoregulation of BKV replication. Use of miR-B1 can be evaluated as a potential treatment strategy against BKV infection.