A molecular morphometric approach to diabetic kidney disease can link structure to function and outcome.

Diabetic kidney disease is the leading cause of kidney failure. However, studies of molecular mechanisms of early kidney damage are lacking. Here we examined for possible linkage between transcriptional regulation and quantitative structural damage in early diabetic kidney disease in Pima Indians with type 2 diabetes.

Perspectives on systems biology applications in diabetic kidney disease.

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a microvascular complication of type 1 and 2 diabetes with a devastating impact on individuals with the disease, their families, and society as a whole. DKD is the single most frequent cause of incident chronic kidney disease cases and accounts for over 40% of the population with end-stage renal disease. Contributing factors for the high prevalence are the increase in obesity and subsequent diabetes combined with an improved long-term survival with diabetes.

Hic-5 as a regulator of endothelial cell morphology and connective tissue growth factor gene expression.

The functional role of the LIM-domain protein Hic-5 was investigated in microvascular endothelial cells using a siRNA approach. Knock down of Hic-5 reduced endothelial cell spreading and impaired structural organization of the cells on basement membrane extracts. Furthermore, Hic-5 was involved in the regulation of the multifunctional protein connective tissue growth factor (CTGF, CCN2).

Differential regulation of connective tissue growth factor in renal cells by histone deacetylase inhibitors.

Regulation of the profibrotic and angiogenesis modulating cytokine connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) occurs primarily at the transcriptional level. Therefore, we hypothesized that histone deacetylating enzymes (HDAC), which modulate the accessibility of transcriptionally active promoter regions, might play a role in the regulation of CTGF gene expression. We analyzed microvascular endothelial cells, which showed immunoreactivity for acetylated histone in kidney sections, and compared them with renal tubular epithelial cells.