Sex differences in kidney gene expression during the life cycle of F344 rats

Background

The kidney functions in key physiological processes to filter blood and regulate blood pressure via key molecular transporters and ion channels. Sex-specific differences have been observed in renal disease incidence and progression, as well as acute kidney injury in response to certain drugs. Although advances have been made in characterizing the molecular components involved in various kidney functions, the molecular mechanisms responsible for sex differences are not well understood. We hypothesized that the basal expression levels of genes involved in various kidney functions throughout the life cycle will influence sex-specific susceptibilities to adverse renal events.

Methods

Whole genome microarray gene expression analysis was performed on kidney samples collected from untreated male and female Fischer 344 (F344) rats at eight age groups between 2 and 104 weeks of age.

Results

A combined filtering approach using statistical (ANOVA or pairwise t test, FDR 0.05) and fold-change criteria (>1.5 relative fold change) was used to identify 7,447 unique differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Principal component analysis (PCA) of the 7,447 DEGs revealed sex-related differences in mRNA expression at early (2 weeks), middle (8, 15, and 21 weeks), and late (104 weeks) ages in the rat life cycle. Functional analysis (Ingenuity Pathway Analysis) of these sex-different genes indicated over-representation of specific pathways and networks including renal tubule injury, drug metabolism, and immune cell and inflammatory responses. The mRNAs that code for the qualified urinary protein kidney biomarkers KIM-1, Clu, Tff3, and Lcn2 were also observed to show sex differences.

Conclusions

These data represent one of the most comprehensive in-life time course studies to be published, assessing sex differences in global gene expression in the F344 rat kidney. PCA and Venn analyses reveal specific periods of sexually dimorphic gene expression which are associated with functional categories (xenobiotic metabolism and immune cell and inflammatory responses) of key relevance to acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease, which may underlie sex-specific susceptibility. Analysis of the basal gene expression patterns of renal genes throughout the life cycle of the rat will improve the use of current and future renal biomarkers and inform our assessments of kidney injury and disease.

     

Effects of CaMKII-Mediated Phosphorylation of Ryanodine Receptor Type 2 on Islet Calcium Handling,Insulin Secretion,and Glucose Tolerance

Altered insulin secretion contributes to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. This alteration is correlated with altered intracellular Ca²⁺-handling in pancreatic β cells. Insulin secretion is triggered by elevation in cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_cyt) of β cells. This elevation in [Ca²⁺]_cyt leads to activation of Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CAMKII), which, in turn, controls multiple aspects of insulin secretion. CaMKII is known to phosphorylate ryanodine receptor 2 (RyR2), an intracellular Ca²⁺-release channel implicated in Ca²⁺-dependent steps of insulin secretion. Our data show that RyR2 is CaMKII phosphorylated in a pancreatic β-cell line in a glucose-sensitive manner. However, it is not clear whether any change in CaMKII-mediated phosphorylation underlies abnormal RyR2 function in β cells and whether such a change contributes to alterations in insulin secretion. Therefore, knock-in mice with a mutation in RyR2 that mimics its constitutive CaMKII phosphorylation, RyR2-S2814D, were studied. This mutation led to a gain-of-function defect in RyR2 indicated by increased basal RyR2-mediated Ca²⁺ leak in islets of these mice. This chronic in vivo defect in RyR2 resulted in basal hyperinsulinemia. In addition, S2814D mice also developed glucose intolerance, impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and lowered [Ca²⁺]_cyt transients, which are hallmarks of pre-diabetes. The glucose-sensitive Ca²⁺ pool in islets from S2814D mice was also reduced. These observations were supported by immunohistochemical analyses of islets in diabetic human and mouse pancreata that revealed significantly enhanced CaMKII phosphorylation of RyR2 in type 2 diabetes. Together, these studies implicate that the chronic gain-of-function defect in RyR2 due to CaMKII hyperphosphorylation is a novel mechanism that contributes to pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes.     

Efficacy,Safety and Cost of Insecticide Treated Wall Lining,Insecticide Treated Bed Nets and Indoor Wall Wash with Lime for Visceral Leishmaniasis Vector Control in the Indian Sub-continent: A Multi-country Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

BackgroundWe investigated the efficacy, safety and cost of lime wash of household walls plus treatment of sand fly breeding places with bleach (i.e. environmental management or EM), insecticide impregnated durable wall lining (DWL), and bed net impregnation with slow release insecticide (ITN) for sand fly control in the Indian sub-continent.MethodsThis multi-country cluster randomized controlled trial had 24 clusters in each three sites with eight clusters per high, medium or low sand fly density stratum. Every cluster included 45–50 households. Five households from each cluster were randomly selected for entomological measurements including sand fly density and mortality at one, three, nine and twelve months post intervention. Household interviews were conducted for socioeconomic information and intervention acceptability assessment. Cost for each intervention was calculated. There was a control group without intervention.FindingsSand fly mortality [mean and 95%CI] ranged from 84% (81%-87%) at one month to 74% (71%-78%) at 12 months for DWL, 75% (71%-79%) at one month to 49% (43%-55%) at twelve months for ITN, and 44% (34%-53%) at one month to 22% (14%-29%) at twelve months for EM. Adjusted intervention effect on sand fly density measured by incidence rate ratio ranged from 0.28 (0.23–0.34) at one month to 0.62 (0.51–0.75) at 12 months for DWL; 0.72 (0.62–0.85) at one month to 1.02 (0.86–1.22) at 12 months for ITN; and 0.89 (0.76–1.03) at one months to 1.49 (1.26–1.74) at 12 months for EM. Household acceptance of EM was 74% compared to 94% for both DWL and ITN. Operational cost per household in USD was about 5, 8, and 2 for EM, DWL and ITN, respectively. Minimal adverse reactions were reported for EM and ITN while 36% of households with DWL reported transient itching.InterpretationDWL is the most effective, durable and acceptable control method followed by ITN. The Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) Elimination Program in the Indian sub-continent should consider DWL and ITN for sand fly control in addition to IRS.     

A rapid,ideal, and eco-friendlier protocol for quantifying proline

Proline, a stress marker, is routinely quantified by a protocol that essentially uses hazardous toluene. Negative impacts of toluene on human health prompted us to develop a reliable alternate protocol for proline quantification. Absorbance of the proline-ninhydrin condensation product formed by reaction of proline with ninhydrin at 100 °C in the reaction mixture was significantly higher than that recorded after its transfer to toluene, revealing that toluene lowers sensitivity of this assay. λ _max of the proline-ninhydrin complex in the reaction mixture and toluene were 508 and 513 nm, respectively. Ninhydrin in glacial acetic acid yielded higher quantity of the proline-ninhydrin condensation product compared to ninhydrin in mixture of glacial acetic acid and H₃PO₄, indicating negative impact of H₃PO₄ on proline quantification. Further, maximum yield of the proline-ninhydrin complex with ninhydrin in glacial acetic acid and ninhydrin in mixture of glacial acetic acid and H₃PO₄ was achieved within 30 and 60 min, respectively. This revealed that H₃PO₄ has negative impact on the reaction rate and quantity of the proline-ninhydrin complex formed. In brief, our proline quantification protocol involves reaction of a 1-ml proline sample with 2 ml of 1.25 % ninhydrin in glacial acetic acid at 100 °C for 30 min, followed by recording absorbance of the proline-ninhydrin condensation product in the reaction mixture itself at 508 nm. Amongst proline quantification protocols known till date, our protocol is the most simple, rapid, reliable, cost-effective, and eco-friendlier.