Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0011881 (diabetic nephropathy)
 10,836 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Glomerular hypertension and hyperglycemia are major determinants of diabetic nephropathy. We sought to identify the mechanisms whereby stretch-induced activation of mesangial cell extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/ERK2) is enhanced in high glucose (HG). Mesangial cells cultured on fibronectin Flex I plates in normal glucose (NG; 5.6 mM) or HG (30 mM), were stretched by 15% elongation at 60 cycles/min for up to 60 min. In HG, a 5-min stretch increased ERK1/ERK2 phosphorylation by 6.4 +/- 0.4/4.3 +/- 0.3-fold (P < 0.05 vs. NG stretch). In contrast, p38 phosphorylation was increased identically by stretch in NG and HG. Unlike many effects of HG, augmentation of ERK activity by HG was not dependent on protein kinase C (PKC) as indicated by downregulation of PKC with 24-h phorbol ester or inhibition with bisindolylmaleimide IV. In both NG and HG, pretreatment with arginine-glycine-aspartic acid peptide (0.5 mg/ml) to inhibit integrin binding or with cytochalasin D (100 ng/ml) to disassemble filamentous (F) actin, significantly reduced phosphorylation of ERK1/ERK2 and p38. To determine whether the rate of mitogen-activated protein kinase dephosphorylation is affected by HG, cellular kinase activity was inhibited by depleting ATP. Post-ATP depletion, phosphorylation of ERK1/ERK2 was reduced to 36 +/- 9/51 +/- 14% vs. 9 +/- 5/7 +/- 6% in NG (P < 0.05, n = 5). Thus stretch-induced ERK1/ERK2 and p38 activation in both NG and HG is beta(1)-integrin and F-actin dependent. Stretch-induced ERK1/ERK2 is enhanced in high glucose by diminished dephosphorylation, suggesting reduced phosphatase activity in the diabetic milieu. Enhanced mesangial cell ERK1/ERK2 signaling in response to the combined effects of mechanical stretch and HG may contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy.
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PMID:Stretch-induced mesangial cell ERK1/ERK2 activation is enhanced in high glucose by decreased dephosphorylation. 1099 19

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) may play a role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy, by modulating extracellular matrix turnover. AGEs are known to activate specific membrane receptors, including the receptor for AGE (RAGE). In the present study, we analyzed the various receptors for AGEs expressed by human mesangial cells and we studied the effects of glycated albumin and of carboxymethyl lysine on matrix protein and remodelling enzyme synthesis. Membrane RAGE expression was confirmed by FACS analysis. Microarray methods, RT-PCR, and Northern blot analysis were used to detect and confirm specific gene induction. Zymographic analysis and ELISA were used to measure the induction of tPA and PAI-1. We show herein that cultured human mesangial cells express AGE receptor type 1, type 2 and type 3 and RAGE. AGEs (200 microg/ml) induced at least a 2-fold increase in mRNA for 10 genes involved in ECM remodelling, including tPA, PAI-1 and TIMP-3. The increase in tPA synthesis was confirmed by fibrin zymography. The stimulation of PAI-1 synthesis was confirmed by ELISA. AGEs increased PAI-1 mRNA through a signalling pathway involving reactive oxygen species, the MAP kinases ERK-1/ERK-2 and the nuclear transcription factor NF-kappaB, but not AP-1. Carboxymethyl lysine (CML, 5 microM), which is a RAGE ligand, also stimulated PAI-1 synthesis by mesangial cells. In addition, a blocking anti-RAGE antibody partially inhibited the AGE-stimulated gene expression and decreased the PAI-1 accumulation induced by AGEs and by CML. Inhibition of AGE receptors or neutralization of the protease inhibitors TIMP-3 and PAI-1 could represent an important new therapeutic strategy for diabetic nephropathy.
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PMID:Advanced glycation end products regulate extracellular matrix protein and protease expression by human glomerular mesangial cells. 1928 28

We previously demonstrated that high glucose-induced cell proliferation in cultured rat mesangial cells (RMCs) is mediated through activation of big mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (BMK1). We also found that, in aldosterone-treated rats, mesangial proliferation is associated with BMK1 activation and that these effects were prevented by treatment with a selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, eplerenone. In this study, we investigated the contribution of mineralocorticoid receptors to high glucose-induced BMK1 activation and cell proliferation in RMCs. BMK1 phosphorylation was measured by western blot analysis. Cell proliferation was evaluated by [3H]-thymidine incorporation. High glucose treatment (15.5 mmol/l) increased BMK1 phosphorylation in both the nucleus and cytosol of RMCs. High glucose-induced BMK1 phosphorylation was attenuated by pretreatment with eplerenone (10 micromol/l), mineralocorticoid receptor small interfering RNA or PD98059 (100 micromol/l), a specific inhibitor of extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase (MEK). Likewise, high glucose-induced increases in [H]-thymidine incorporation were prevented by eplerenone or PD98059 and transfection of dominant-negative MEK5, which is the upstream regulator of BMK1. These results suggest that mineralocorticoid receptors are involved in high glucose-induced BMK1 phosphorylation and cell proliferation. The inhibitory actions of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists may contribute to their preventive effects on diabetic nephropathy, which have been reported in recent clinical studies.
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PMID:Involvement of mineralocorticoid receptor in high glucose-induced big mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 activation and mesangial cell proliferation. 2009 May 57