Increased bone morphogenetic protein 7 signalling in the kidneys of dogs affected with a congenital portosystemic shunt.
Dogs with a congenital portosystemic shunt (CPSS) often have enlarged and hyper-filtrating kidneys. Although expression of different growth factors has been well-described in the livers of dogs affected with a CPSS, their expression in the kidneys has yet to be determined. Bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP-7), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β have been implicated in renal development (BMP-7, HGF) or the onset of renal fibrosis (TGF-β). Moreover, BMP-7 and HGF have protective properties in renal fibrosis. In this study, the expression and activity of BMP-7 were investigated in renal biopsies obtained from 13 dogs affected with a CPSS and compared to similar samples from age-matched healthy control dogs. Both quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR and Western blotting showed up-regulated BMP-7 signalling in kidneys of CPPS-affected dogs. These research findings may help to explain the renal pathology/dysfunction in dogs affected with a CPSS.
Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 104, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Astrid M
AM
van Dongen
Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 104, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Susanne M
SM
Heuving
Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 104, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Marianna A
MA
Tryfonidou
Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 104, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Frank G
FG
van Steenbeek
Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 104, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Jan
J
Rothuizen
Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 104, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: L.C.Penning@uu.nl.
Louis C
LC
Penning
D000818:Animals; D055419:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000151:congenital*; D004285:Dogs; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism*; D011168:Portal System / Q000002:abnormalities*
D055419:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7
BMP-7 signalling; Dogs; Phospho-SMAD-1,5,8; Portosystemic shunt; Renal