title: Expression of allograft inflammatory factor-1 in kidneys: A novel molecular component of podocyte.
abstract: Our comprehensive gene expression profiles of the kidneys in an anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) nephritis model using DNA arrays revealed that allograft inflammatory factor-1 (AIF-1) was one of the highly expressed genes. Here, we explored the pathological significance of AIF-1 expression in the kidneys. The expression pattern of AIF-1 mRNA and protein in the kidneys of normal and diseased rats, such as anti-GBM nephritis and puromycin aminonucleoside nephrosis, was investigated by in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, and immunoelectron microscopy. Furthermore, the expression of AIF-1 in human kidneys and urinary sediments was examined. AIF-1 was expressed at both mRNA and protein levels in podocytes of normal and diseased rats, and in infiltrating cells in anti-GBM nephritis kidneys. The expression of AIF-1 in podocytes was constitutive; positive in podocytes of both normal and diseased rats. In humans, AIF-1 was expressed in podocytes and infiltrating inflammatory cells, similarly. Moreover, it was detected in urinary podocytes from patients with immunoglobulin A nephropathy. These data document for the first time that AIF-1, a constitutively expressed protein in rat and human podocytes, is a novel molecular component of podocytes, and that the upregulation of AIF-1 in an anti-GBM nephritis model may mainly be a consequence of its expression in infiltrating cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Nephrology and Rheumatology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsubata
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakatsume
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Alchi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawachi
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Narita
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gejyo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D008875:Middle Aged; D050199:Podocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY
chemical_list: C112986:AIF1 protein, human; C100745:Aif1 protein, rat; D015415:Biomarkers; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D008840:Microfilament Proteins