Expression of platelet-derived growth factor in lupus nephritis in MRL/MpJ-1pr/1pr mice.
Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis. We examined PDGF expression and glomerular changes in lupus nephritis-prone MRL/MpJ-1pr/1pr (MRL/1) mice. The total number of nuclei per glomerular section and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level were significantly increased in MRL/1 mice aged 20 weeks compared to those aged 8 weeks. A positive correlation existed between numbers of PDGF beta-chain-positive cells and glomerular cells in MRL/1 mice (r = 0.77, p < 0.01). The BUN level did not differ among MRL/MP-+2 (MRL/n) mice of different ages, but the glomerular cell number increased modestly with age. At the age of 20 weeks, the incidence of crescent formation per kidney tissue ranged from 9 to 32% (mean 19%) in MRL/1 mice but was 0 in MRL/n mice. PDGF beta-chain protein was expressed in the mesangium and crescents in 20-week-old MRL/1 mice but was expressed rarely in the glomeruli of MRL/n mice. These results suggest that the PDGF beta-chain plays an important role in glomerular cell proliferation and crescent formation in murine lupus nephritis.
Entani
C
C
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Japan.
Izumino
K
K
Takata
M
M
Futamura
A
A
Nakagawa
Y
Y
Inoue
H
H
Iida
H
H
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007677:Kidney Function Tests; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D008181:Lupus Nephritis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D019463:Mice, Inbred MRL lpr; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013997:Time Factors
D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor