Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (Ngal or lipocalin 2) is a very early and sensitive biomarker of kidney injury. Here we determined the origin and time course of Ngal appearance in several experimental and clinically relevant renal diseases. Urinary Ngal levels were found to be markedly increased in lipoatrophic- and streptozotocin-induced mouse models of diabetic nephropathy. In the latter mice, the angiotensin receptor blocker candesartan dramatically decreased urinary Ngal excretion. The reabsorption of Ngal by the proximal tubule was severely reduced in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice, but upregulation of its mRNA and protein in the kidney was negligible, compared to those of control mice, suggesting that increased urinary Ngal was mainly due to impaired renal reabsorption. In the mouse model of unilateral ureteral obstruction, Ngal protein synthesis was dramatically increased in the dilated thick ascending limb of Henle and N was found in the urine present in the swollen pelvis of the ligated kidney. Five patients with nephrotic syndrome or interstitial nephritis had markedly elevated urinary Ngal levels at presentation, but these decreased in response to treatment. Our study shows that the urinary Ngal level may be useful for monitoring the status and treatment of diverse renal diseases reflecting defects in glomerular filtration barrier, proximal tubule reabsorption, and distal nephrons.

Abstract. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) is one of the candidate factors mediating fibrogenic activity of TGF-␤. It was shown previously that the blockade of CTGF by antisense oligonucleotide (ODN) inhibits TGF-␤-induced production of fibronectin and type I collagen in cultured renal fibroblasts. The in vivo contribution of CTGF in renal interstitial fibrosis, however, remains to be clarified. With the use of a hydrodynamics-based gene transfer technique, the effects of CTGF antisense ODN are investigated in rat kidneys with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). FITC-labeled ODN injection via the renal vein showed that the ODN was specifically introduced into the interstitium. At day 7 after UUO, the gene expression of CTGF, fibronectin, fibronectin ED-A, and ␣1(I) collagen in untreated or control ODN-treated obstructed kidneys was prominently upregulated. CTGF antisense ODN treatment, by contrast, markedly attenuated the induction of CTGF, fibronectin, fibronectin ED-A, and ␣1(I) collagen genes, whereas TGF-␤ gene upregulation was not affected. The antisense treatment also reduced interstitial deposition of CTGF, fibronectin ED-A, and type I collagen and the interstitial fibrotic areas. The number of myofibroblasts determined by the expression of ␣-smooth muscle actin was significantly decreased as well. Proliferation of tubular and interstitial cells was not altered with the treatment. These findings indicate that CTGF expression in the interstitium plays a crucial role in the progression of interstitial fibrosis but not in the proliferation of tubular and interstitial cells during UUO.

Podocytes play an important role in maintaining normal glomerular function and structure, and podocyte injury leads to proteinuria and glomerulosclerosis. The family of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK; extracellular signal-regulated kinase [ERK], c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and p38) may be implicated in the progression of various glomerulopathies, but the role of MAPK in podocyte injury remains elusive. This study examined phosphorylation of p38 MAPK in clinical glomerulopathies with podocyte injury, as well as in rat puromycin aminonucleoside (PAN) nephropathy and mouse adriamycin (ADR) nephropathy. The effect of treatment with FR167653, an inhibitor of p38 MAPK, was also investigated in rodent models. In human podocyte injury diseases, the increased phosphorylation of p38 MAPK was observed at podocytes. In PAN and ADR nephropathy, the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and ERK was marked but transient, preceding overt proteinuria. Pretreatment with FR167653 (day ؊2 to day 14, subcutaneously) to PAN or ADR nephropathy completely inhibited p38 MAPK activation and attenuated ERK phosphorylation, with complete suppression of proteinuria. Electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry for nephrin and connexin43 revealed that podocyte injury was markedly ameliorated by FR167653. Furthermore, early treatment with FR167653 effectively prevented glomerulosclerosis and renal dysfunction in the chronic phase of ADR nephropathy. In cultured podocytes, PAN or oxidative stress induced the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK along with actin reorganization, and FR167653 inhibited such changes. These findings indicate that the activation of MAPK is necessary for podocyte injury, suggesting that p38 MAPK and, possibly, ERK should become a potential target for therapeutic intervention in proteinuric glomerulopathies.

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a potent inducer of extracellular matrix accumulation. In diabetic nephropathy, CTGF expression is markedly upregulated both in podocytes and mesangial cells, and this may play an important role in its pathogenesis. We established podocyte-specific CTGF-transgenic mice, which were indistinguishable at baseline from their wild-type littermates. Twelve weeks after streptozotocin-induced diabetes, these transgenic mice showed a more severe proteinuria, mesangial expansion, and a decrease in matrix metalloproteinase-2 activity compared to diabetic wild-type mice. Furthermore, diabetic transgenic mice exhibited less podocin expression and a decreased number of diffusely vacuolated podocytes compared to diabetic wild-type mice. Importantly, induction of diabetes in CTGF-transgenic mice resulted in a further elevation of endogenous CTGF mRNA expression and protein in the glomerular mesangium. Our findings suggest that overexpression of CTGF in podocytes is sufficient to exacerbate proteinuria and mesangial expansion through a functional impairment and loss of podocytes.

Objective. Blau syndrome and its sporadic counterpart, early-onset sarcoidosis (EOS), share a phenotype featuring the symptom triad of skin rash, arthritis, and uveitis. This systemic inflammatory granulomatosis is associated with mutations in the NOD2 gene. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical manifestations of Blau syndrome/EOS in Japanese patients and to determine whether the NOD2 genotype and its associated basal NF-B activity predict the Blau syndrome/ EOS clinical phenotype.Methods. Twenty Japanese patients with Blau syndrome/EOS and NOD2 mutations were recruited. Mutated NOD2 was categorized based on its basal NF-B activity, which was defined as the ratio of NF-B activity without a NOD2 ligand, muramyldipeptide, to NF-B activity with muramyldipeptide.Results. All 9 mutations, including E383G, a novel mutation that was identified in 20 patients with Blau syndrome/EOS, were detected in the centrally located NOD region and were associated with ligandindependent NF-B activation. The median age of the patients at disease onset was 14 months, although in 2 patients in Blau syndrome families (with mutations R334W and E383G, respectively) the age at onset was 5 years or older. Most patients with Blau syndrome/EOS had the triad of skin, joint, and ocular symptoms, the onset of which was in this order. Clinical manifestations varied even among familial cases and patients with the same mutations. There was no clear relationship between the clinical phenotype and basal NF-B activity due to mutated NOD2. However, when attention was focused on the 2 most frequent mutations, R334W and R334Q, R334W tended to cause more obvious visual impairment.