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Abstract: FR-OR44

Urinary mRNA Expression of Glomerular Podocyte Markers in Glomerular Disease and Renal Transplant

Session Information

Category: Pathology and Lab Medicine

  • 1600 Pathology and Lab Medicine

Authors

  • Armelloni, Silvia, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Lombardia, Italy
  • Mattinzoli, Deborah, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Lombardia, Italy
  • Ikehata, Masami, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Lombardia, Italy
  • Alfieri, Carlo, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Lombardia, Italy
  • Messa, Piergiorgio, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Lombardia, Italy
Background

The search for urinary markers to monitor the progression of kidney disease is still ongoing and previous works have demonstrated the useful of quantifying mRNA expression of urinary cells. It is well known that in podocytes the slit diaphragm integrity and the function of the molecules shared with neuronal signaling pathways are essential for the maintenance of cell physiology. Our study focuses on the identification of the urinary mRNA expression of a panel of podocytes genes useful to identify possible biomarkers of glomerular pathology.

Methods

We studied the urine obtained from patients, native and renal transplant, affected by renal disease and undergone, with clinical indication, to renal biopsy (Rbx). We investigated the presence and the morphology of podocytes by immunocytochemistry and measured the expression of genes responsible for their structure and function by RTqPCR. We considered and applied possibly alternative methods to correct gene expression in respect to the total number of podocytes to compare different groups of patients.

Results

Our results demonstrate in urine the presence of podocytes with cytoskeletal alterations. Furthermore, we detected the increase of WT1 mRNA in the urine of both groups. After all kinds of normalization for the number of podocytes, there was a tendency to increase, compared to healthy controls, of the most of the tested genes; in particular, we obtained a significant rise of TRPC6 expression.

Conclusion

We suggest the expression of WT1 mRNA as a surrogate for quantifying podocytes in urine. We propose the increase of TRPC6 and GRM1 mRNA in urinary podocytes as a marker helpful to provide complementary information to Rbx. These genes are useful for monitoring actin cytoskeleton remodeling in podocytes that contributes to glomerular damage in course of renal disease.

Urinary cells culture. Podocytes are recognizable by their processes (A-E), a large cytoskeleton (A-C-D-E), by low duplication capacity (B) other than double nucleus (C-F) and processes trying to connect with those of other cells by synaptic-like structures (G)