Microarray analysis of changes in renal phenotype in the ethylene glycol rat model of urolithiasis: potential and pitfalls.

Objectives: To investigate, in an initial study, the use of microarray analysis (MA) to develop an information base for urolithiasis. MA enables the screening of thousands of genes simultaneously making it the technique of choice for situations where the results are known, but the underlying mechanisms are not. Little is known about the pathological changes occurring in the kidney during urolithiasis and this has severely hampered efforts to develop effective therapeutics.

Decreased renal expression of the putative calcium oxalate inhibitor Tamm-Horsfall protein in the ethylene glycol rat model of calcium oxalate urolithiasis.

Purpose: Tamm-Horsfall protein is believed to inhibit calcium oxalate crystallization, aggregation or adhesion to the renal epithelium. We determined whether ethylene glycol induced urolithiasis changes the expression of renal and urinary Tamm-Horsfall protein. For comparison the expression of another calcium oxalate inhibitor, osteopontin, was also analyzed.