The AGE-RAGE system and diabetic nephropathy.
As is diabetes itself, diabetic vasculopathy is a multifactor disease. Studies revealed advanced glycation end products (AGE) as the major environmental account for vascular cell derangement characteristic of diabetes and the receptor for AGE (RAGE) as the major genic factor that responds to them. AGE fractions that caused the vascular derangement were proved to be RAGE ligands. When made diabetic, RAGE transgenic mice exhibited the exacerbation of the indices of nephropathy and retinopathy, and this was prevented by the inhibition of AGE formation. Extracellular signals and nuclear factors that induce the transcription of human RAGE gene were also identified, which would be regarded as risk factors of diabetic complications. Through an analysis of vascular polysomal poly(A)(+)RNA, a novel splice variant coding for a soluble RAGE protein was found and was named endogenous secretory RAGE. Endogenous secretory RAGE was able to capture AGE ligands and to neutralize the AGE action on endothelial cells, suggesting that this variant has a potential to protect blood vessels from diabetes-induced injury. The AGE-RAGE system, therefore, should be a candidate molecular target for overcoming this life- and quality-of-life-threatening disease.
Sakurai
Shigeru
S
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Vascular Biology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Japan.
Yonekura
Hideto
H
Yamamoto
Yasuhiko
Y
Watanabe
Takuo
T
Tanaka
Nobushige
N
Li
Hui
H
Rahman
A K M Azadur
AK
Myint
Khin-Mar
KM
Kim
Chul-Hee
CH
Yamamoto
Hiroshi
H
D000818:Animals; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D017127:Glycation End Products, Advanced / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D000067759:Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000378:metabolism*
D017127:Glycation End Products, Advanced; D000067759:Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic