title: Expression of transgelin in human glomerulonephritis of various etiology.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Activation of myofibroblasts occurs during kidney injury. Genomic and proteomic studies suggest that transgelin represents a protein that may be involved in renal injury. The purpose of this study was to estimate transgelin expression in the renal tissue of patients with glomerulonephritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Transgelin was identified in biopsy sections of 67 patients by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Its distribution was compared to that of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), a marker of myofibroblast activation in the kidney.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Transgelin and α-SMA expression was identified within glomeruli and interstitium. In patients with IgA nephropathy and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, glomerular expression of transgelin was higher than that of α-SMA. The extent of transgelin immunostaining was related to mesangial proliferation (p = 0.034), glomerular sclerosis (p = 0.035), interstitial fibrosis (p = 0.047) and to the clinical course (p = 0.009). Colocalization studies showed that in some areas of kidney tissue both proteins were expressed with comparable intensity, whereas in other areas expression of either transgelin or α-SMA was predominant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Strong transgelin expression was observed in renal tissue of patients with glomerulonephritis. The observed differences in the pattern of transgelin and α-SMA expression suggest that either different subpopulations of myofibroblasts exist, or that these proteins are activated at different stages of renal injury/scarring.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine-Nephrology, University Hospital of Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gerolymos
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Karagianni
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Papasotiriou
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kalliakmani
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sotsiou
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Charonis
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Goumenos
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D058628:Myofibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism; D014018:Tissue Distribution / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: C541116:ACTA2 protein, human; D000199:Actins; D015415:Biomarkers; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; C051615:transgelin