The glomerular circadian clock temporally regulates basement membrane dynamics and the podocyte glucocorticoid response.

Kidney physiology shows diurnal variation, and a disrupted circadian rhythm is associated with kidney disease. However, it remains largely unknown whether glomeruli, the filtering units in the kidney, are under circadian control. Here, we investigated core circadian clock components in glomeruli, together with their rhythmic targets and modes of regulation.

A novel nanoluciferase transgenic reporter measures proteinuria in zebrafish.

The zebrafish is an important animal system for modeling human diseases. This includes kidney dysfunction as the embryonic kidney (pronephros) shares considerable molecular and morphological homology with the human nephron. A key clinical indicator of kidney disease is proteinuria, but a high-throughput readout of proteinuria in the zebrafish is currently lacking.

Basement membrane defects in CD151-associated glomerular disease.

Background: CD151 is a cell-surface molecule of the tetraspanin family. Its lateral interaction with laminin-binding integrin ɑ3β1 is important for podocyte adhesion to the glomerular basement membrane (GBM). Deletion of Cd151 in mice induces glomerular dysfunction, with proteinuria and associated focal glomerulosclerosis, disorganisation of GBM and tubular cystic dilation.

LAMA2 and LOXL4 are candidate FSGS genes.

Background: Focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a histologic pattern of injury that characterizes a wide spectrum of diseases. Many genetic causes have been identified in FSGS but even in families with comprehensive testing, a significant proportion remain unexplained.

Methods: In a family with adult-onset autosomal dominant FSGS, linkage analysis was performed in 11 family members followed by whole exome sequencing (WES) in 3 affected relatives to identify candidate genes.

Identification of an Altered Matrix Signature in Kidney Aging and Disease.

Background: Accumulation of extracellular matrix in organs and tissues is a feature of both aging and disease. In the kidney, glomerulosclerosis and tubulointerstitial fibrosis accompany the decline in function, which current therapies cannot address, leading to organ failure. Although histologic and ultrastructural patterns of excess matrix form the basis of human disease classifications, a comprehensive molecular resolution of abnormal matrix is lacking.

Uncovering Modifier Genes of X-Linked Alport Syndrome Using a Novel Multiparent Mouse Model.

Background: Mutations in are responsible for 80% of cases of X-linked Alport Syndrome (XLAS). Although genes that cause AS are well characterized, people with AS who have similar genetic mutations present with a wide variation in the extent of kidney impairment and age of onset, suggesting the activities of modifier genes.

Methods: We created a cohort of genetically diverse XLAS male and female mice using the Diversity Outbred mouse resource and measured albuminuria, GFR, and gene expression.

Post-Myocardial Infarction T-tubules Form Enlarged Branched Structures With Dysregulation of Junctophilin-2 and Bridging Integrator 1 (BIN-1).

Background: Heart failure is a common secondary complication following a myocardial infarction (MI), characterized by impaired cardiac contraction and t-tubule (t-t) loss. However, post-MI nano-scale morphological changes to the remaining t-ts are poorly understood.

Method And Results: We utilized a porcine model of MI, using a nonlethal microembolization method to generate controlled microinfarcts.

Three-dimensional structure of the intercalated disc reveals plicate domain and gap junction remodeling in heart failure.

The intercalated disc (ICD) orchestrates electrochemical and mechanical communication between neighboring cardiac myocytes, properties that are perturbed in heart failure (HF). Although structural data from transmission electron microscopy two-dimensional images have provided valuable insights into the domains forming the ICD, there are currently no three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions for an entire ICD in healthy or diseased hearts. Here, we aimed to understand the link between changes in protein expression in an ovine tachypacing-induced HF model and ultrastructural remodeling of the ICD by determining the 3D intercalated disc architecture using serial block face scanning electron microscopy.

Three-dimensional reconstruction of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum reveals a continuous network linking transverse-tubules: this organization is perturbed in heart failure.

Rationale: The organization of the transverse-tubular (t-t) system and relationship to the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) underpins cardiac excitation-contraction coupling. The architecture of the SR, and relationship with the t-ts, is not well characterized at the whole-cell level. Furthermore, little is known regarding changes to SR ultrastructure in heart failure.