Transforming growth factor beta and excess burden of renal disease.
End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is more frequent in African Americans (blacks) compared to whites. Because renal fibrosis is a correlate of progressive renal failure and a dominant feature of ESRD, and because transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta1) can induce fibrosis and renal insufficiency, we hypothesized that TGF-beta1 hyperexpression is more frequent in blacks compared to whites. We measured circulating levels of TGF-beta1 in black and white patients with ESRD, hypertension, and in normal patients. We demonstrated that circulating levels of TGF-beta1 are higher in black ESRD patients, hypertensive patients, and normal control patients compared to their white counterparts. Our preliminary genetic analyses suggest that TGF-beta1 DNA polymorphisms are different in blacks and whites. Our observations of hyperexpression of TGF-beta1 in blacks suggest a mechanism for the increased prevalence of renal failure and hypertensive target organ damage in this population.
August
Phyllis
P
Weil Cornell Medical College of Research in Medicine, 525 East 68th Street, Box 129, New York, NY 10065, USA. paugust@med.cornell.edu
Sharma
Vijay
V
Ding
Ruchuang
R
Schwartz
Joseph E
JE
Suthanthiran
Manikkam
M
D001741:Black or African American / Q000235:genetics; D000483:Alleles; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015870:Gene Expression; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D008954:Models, Biological; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D012307:Risk Factors; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics
D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1