Enhanced glomerular profilin gene and protein expression in experimental mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis.
Profilin is a cytoplasmic protein that binds to actin monomer and regulates actin polymerization. In a number of experimental and human glomerular diseases, the mesangial cell expresses alpha-smooth muscle actin and undergoes a phenotypic change to myofibroblast. We used a rat model of mesangial proliferative nephritis induced with antibody to the Thy 1 antigen present on mesangial cells to investigate whether profilin is upregulated. We amplified and sequenced rat profilin cDNA by the reverse-transcribed-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The nucleotide and amino acid sequences were highly conserved across the mammalian profilins. We raised affinity purified antibody to rat profilin in rabbits immunized with a synthetic profilin peptide (EFTMDLRTKS). At 7 days after disease induction, enhanced expression in both profilin mRNA and protein was demonstrated in the isolated glomeruli by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. These results suggest that profilin may be involved in the pathogenesis of glomerulonephritis by reorganizing actin cytoskeleton.
Tamura
M
M
Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan.
Tanaka
H
H
Hirano
T
T
Ueta
Y
Y
Higashi
K
K
Hirano
H
H
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003285:Contractile Proteins; D015870:Gene Expression; D005920:Glomerular Mesangium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D015432:Glomerulonephritis, Membranoproliferative / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000276:immunology; D051304:Profilins; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
D003285:Contractile Proteins; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; C495738:PFN1 protein, human; D010455:Peptides; C495739:Pfn1 protein, mouse; C495740:Pfn1 protein, rat; D051304:Profilins; D012333:RNA, Messenger