Essential role of Gas6 for glomerular injury in nephrotoxic nephritis.
Growth-arrest specific gene 6 (Gas6) is a vitamin K-dependent growth factor for mesangial and epithelial cells. To investigate whether Gas6 is essential for progressive glomerular injury, we constructed Gas6(-/-) mice and examined the role of Gas6 in accelerated nephrotoxic nephritis (NTN), a model of progressive glomerulonephritis. We found less mortality and proteinuria in Gas6(-/-) mice than in wild-type mice following injection of nephrotoxic serum. Glomerular cell proliferation, glomerular sclerosis, crescent formation, and deposition of fibrin/fibrinogen in glomeruli were also reduced in Gas6(-/-) mice. Furthermore, administering Gas6(-/-) mice recombinant wild-type Gas6, but not Gas6 lacking a previously characterized N-terminal gamma-carboxyl group, induced massive proteinuria, glomerular cell proliferation, and glomerulosclerosis, comparable to responses seen in wild-type mice. These data indicate that Gas6 induces glomerular cell proliferation in NTN and suggest that this factor contributes to glomerular injury and the progression of chronic nephritis.
Department of Geriatric Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Motoko
M
Yanagita
Yoshikazu
Y
Ishimoto
Hidenori
H
Arai
Kojiro
K
Nagai
Tsuyoshi
T
Ito
Toru
T
Nakano
David J
DJ
Salant
Atsushi
A
Fukatsu
Toshio
T
Doi
Toru
T
Kita
D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005337:Fibrin / Q000378:metabolism; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000378:metabolism; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; D012756:Sheep; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism; D000099255:Growth Arrest-Specific Protein 6
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005337:Fibrin; D005340:Fibrinogen; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; D015534:Trans-Activators; D000099255:Growth Arrest-Specific Protein 6; C494087:Stat3 protein, mouse