title: The Expression of Tristetraprolin and Its Relationship with Urinary Proteins in Patients with Diabetic Nephropathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Tristetraprolin (TTP), also known as zinc finger protein 36, is an RNA binding protein that has a significant role in regulating the expression of mRNAs containing AU-rich elements. We postulated that TTP might regulate interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-18 expression in diabetes. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that the levels of TTP are correlated with nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-seven patients (61.3±9.6 years old) who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 41 age and sex matched healthy control subjects were enrolled. The diabetes patients were classified into those without proteinuria, with microalbuminuria, and with clinical proteinuria groups according to the ratio of urinary excretion of albumin/creatinine (ACR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum and urinary levels of IL-6 and IL-18 were significantly elevated, but those of TTP were significantly decreased in patients with diabetes as compared with control subjects. In addition, serum and urinary levels of IL-6 and IL-18 were significantly higher, but those of TTP were significantly lower in patients with proteinuria than in patients without proteinuria or with microalbuminuria. There was a significant correlation between serum TTP and IL-6/IL-18 (correlation coefficients of -0.572 and -0.685, P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results show that diabetes with clinical proteinuria is accompanied by decreased urinary and serum level of TTP and increased levels of IL-6 and IL-18. Decreased TTP expression might occur prior to the increase in IL-6 and IL-18, and decrease of TTP might provide an earlier marker for glomerular dysfunction than IL-6 and IL-18.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China; Nephropathy Research Institutes of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China; Key-Disciplines Laboratory Clinical-Medicine Henan, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Fengxun
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China; Nephropathy Research Institutes of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China; Key-Disciplines Laboratory Clinical-Medicine Henan, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China; Nephropathy Research Institutes of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China; Key-Disciplines Laboratory Clinical-Medicine Henan, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China; Nephropathy Research Institutes of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China; Key-Disciplines Laboratory Clinical-Medicine Henan, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Dongwei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China; Nephropathy Research Institutes of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China; Key-Disciplines Laboratory Clinical-Medicine Henan, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China; Nephropathy Research Institutes of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China; Key-Disciplines Laboratory Clinical-Medicine Henan, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China; Nephropathy Research Institutes of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China; Key-Disciplines Laboratory Clinical-Medicine Henan, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Liu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China; Nephropathy Research Institutes of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China; Key-Disciplines Laboratory Clinical-Medicine Henan, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhangsuo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology; D015415:Biomarkers; D003404:Creatinine / Q000652:urine; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics / Q000652:urine; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000652:urine*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000652:urine; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000652:urine; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000652:urine; D051816:Tristetraprolin / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology* / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; C000589760:IL18 protein, human; C508600:IL6 protein, human; D020382:Interleukin-18; D015850:Interleukin-6; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051816:Tristetraprolin; C497552:ZFP36 protein, human; D003404:Creatinine