title: Glomerular expression of kidney injury molecule-1 and podocytopenia in diabetic glomerulopathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Studies have shown that kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) is upregulated in damaged renal proximal tubules. In this study, we examined KIM-1 expression in glomerular epithelial cells in diabetic glomerulopathy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Renal histology, immunostaining and Western blot for protein level, and real-time PCR for mRNA expression of KIM-1 and podocyte markers were evaluated in untreated or losartan-treated Zucker lean (Fa/+) and Zucker diabetic fatty (Fa/Fa) rats.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The diabetic rats showed an increased glomerular expression of KIM-1. KIM-1 staining was localized primarily in the hyperplastic parietal epithelium of Bowman's capsule in the early stages of diabetes with subsequent increase in KIM-1-positive cells in the glomerular tuft in the more advanced stages. The increase in glomerular KIM-1 was associated with a decrease in podocytes in Fa/Fa rats. Antiproteinuric treatment with losartan attenuated podocytopenia and decreased renal expression of KIM-1 in treated diabetic rats. In an in vitro study, albumin overload increased KIM-1 protein in the primary cultures of rat glomerular epithelial cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results show that glomerular KIM-1 expression was increased, in proportion to the extent of proteinuria and podocytopenia in the diabetic animals, supporting that KIM-1 could be used as a potential biomarker for glomerular injury in proteinuric kidney disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA. xzhao@msm.edu
authors.forename: Xueying
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lingyun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mann
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Imig
authors.forename: Nerimiah
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Emmett
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gibbons
authors.forename: Li-Ming
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Jin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000378:metabolism*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000166:cytology*; D008297:Male; D050199:Podocytes; D051381:Rats; D011924:Rats, Zucker
chemical_list: D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; C110936:Havcr1 protein, rat