title: Extracellular-regulated-kinase 5-mediated renal protection against ischemia-reperfusion injury.
abstract: ERK5, a member of the mitogen activated protein kinase, expressed in the kidneys was smaller (∼80kDa) in apparent molecular mass compared to other organs (∼120kDa). A blocking peptide experiment confirmed that the ∼80kDa detected on Western blots was a specific band detected by the anti-ERK5 antibody. Expression of the known ERK5 variants ERK5a, b, c, and T confirmed that none of the known splice variants encoded for the renal-specific ∼80kDa protein. However, RT-PCR with primers targeting the potential splice sites did not reveal a novel transcript in the kidney. The smaller molecular mass of the kidney-specific ERK5-immunoreactive protein suggested that this cyto-protective molecule may not be fully functional in the kidneys. Lentivirus-mediated in vivo overexpression of full length ERK5 in the mouse kidneys provided protection against renal IR injury. The identity of the renal-specific ∼80kDa ERK5 remains unknown but a better understanding of the ERK5 expression and post-translational processing in the kidneys may reveal a novel strategy for renal protection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States.
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawakami
authors.forename: Sang Won
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Ryuji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kaku
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000201:enzymology*; D016086:Lentivirus; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D048054:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 7 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000201:enzymology*; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D048054:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 7