title: Analysis of relative expression level of VEGF ( vascular endothelial growth factor ), HIF-1α ( hypoxia inducible factor 1α ) and CTGF ( connective tissue growth factor ) genes in chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Analysis of gene expression in renal tissue is considered to be a diagnostic tool predicting the clinical course of glomerulonephritis. The present study quantified the relative transcript levels of VEGF, CTGF and HIF-1α in renal tissue to establish their relationship with some clinical variables in patients suffering from chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN).
  
  
  METHODS
  28 patients (6F and 22M, mean age 51.2±15.0) with CGN were enrolled. Type of CNG recognized by kidney biopsy (histopatological evaluation) was as follows: minimal change disease (MCD)-3pts, IgA nephropathy-5pts, FSGS-3pts, membranous nephropathy-4pts, mesangio-proliferative glomerulonephritis-3pts; MPGN-1pts, lupus nephritis-6pts, granulomatosis with polyangitis-2 pts; hypertensive nephropathy- 3pts. Renal tissue from 3 individuals with normal eGFR and histology was taken as control. Mean clinical follow-up of patients was 12 months after biopsy eGFR and daily urinary protein excretion (DPE) was assessed at the time of biopsy and then in 6 months intervals. Real-time PCR was used to determine relative gene expression. The housekeeping gene GAPDH was used as normalization control.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the time of the biopsy relative expression of 3 analyzed genes was diminished in comparison to control. There were statistically significant differences in VEGF gene relative expression level in patients which varied according to eGFR and tendency in patients which varied according to DPE. HIF-alfa and CTGF gene showed only a tendency.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overexpression of the VEGF gene in subjects with DPE>3,5 g may point to insufficient oxygen supply in renal tissue which may result in tubulointerstitial fibrosis with further functional renal impairment and decline of eGFR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Hypertension and Internal Medicine, Nicolaus Copernicus University Toruń Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors.forename: Rafał
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Donderski
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Szczepanek
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Domagalski
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tretyn
authors.forename: Jadwiga
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Korenkiewicz
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marszałek
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szymański
authors.forename: Zbigniew
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wolski
authors.forename: Grażyna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Odrowąż-Sypniewska
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Manitius
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D055513:Connective Tissue Growth Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015870:Gene Expression; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D006977:Hypertension, Renal / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D055513:Connective Tissue Growth Factor