Effects of chemokines on proliferation and apoptosis of human mesangial cells.
BACKGROUND
Proliferation and apoptosis of mesangial cells (MC) are important mechanisms during nephrogenesis, for the maintenance of glomerular homeostasis as well as in renal disease and glomerular regeneration. Expression of chemokines and chemokine receptors by intrinsic renal cells, e.g. SLC/CCL21 on podocytes and CCR7 on MC is suggested to play a pivotal role during these processes. Therefore the effect of selected chemokines on MC proliferation and apoptosis was studied.


METHODS
Proliferation assays, cell death assays including cell cycle analysis, hoechst stain and measurement of caspase-3 activity were performed.


RESULTS
A dose-dependent, mesangioproliferative effect of the chemokine SLC/CCL21, which is constitutively expressed on human podocytes was seen via activation of the chemokine receptor CCR7, which is constitutively expressed on MC. In addition, in cultured MC SLC/CCL21 had a protective effect on cell survival in Fas-mediated apoptosis. The CXCR3 ligands IP-10/CXCL10 and Mig/CXCL9 revealed a proproliferative effect but did not influence apoptosis of MC. Both the CCR1 ligand RANTES/CCL5 and the amino-terminally modified RANTES analogue Met-RANTES which blocks CCR1 signalling had no effect on proliferation and apoptosis.


CONCLUSIONS
The different effects of chemokines and their respective receptors on proliferation and apoptosis of MC suggest highly regulated, novel biological functions of chemokine/chemokine receptor pairs in processes involved in renal inflammation, regeneration and glomerular homeostasis.
Wörnle
Markus
M
Medical Policlinic, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany. Markus.Woernle@medpoli.med.uni-muenchen.de
Schmid
Holger
H
Merkle
Monika
M
Banas
Bernhard
B
D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D054421:Chemokine CCL21; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D054357:Chemokine CXCL10; D019742:Chemokines, CC / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019743:Chemokines, CXC / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free / Q000494:pharmacology; D005920:Glomerular Mesangium / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000494:pharmacology; D054389:Receptors, CCR1; D054400:Receptors, CCR7; D054367:Receptors, CXCR3; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000502:physiology
C515478:CCL21 protein, human; C515300:CCR1 protein, human; C515370:CCR7 protein, human; C515187:CXCR3 protein, human; D054421:Chemokine CCL21; D018946:Chemokine CCL5; D054357:Chemokine CXCL10; D019742:Chemokines, CC; D019743:Chemokines, CXC; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D007375:Interleukin-1; C108335:RANTES, Met-; D054389:Receptors, CCR1; D054400:Receptors, CCR7; D054367:Receptors, CXCR3; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D019014:fas Receptor; D007371:Interferon-gamma