A nonbiodegradable scaffold-free cell sheet of genome-engineered mesenchymal stem cells inhibits development of acute kidney injury.

Cell therapy using genome-engineered stem cells has emerged as a novel strategy for the treatment of kidney diseases. By exploiting genome editing technology, human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) secreting an angiogenic factors or an anti-inflammatory factor were generated for therapeutic application in acute kidney injury. Junction polymerase chain reaction analysis verified zinc finger nucleases-assisted integration of the desired gene into the hUC-MSCs.

miR-34c-5p and CaMKII are involved in aldosterone-induced fibrosis in kidney collecting duct cells.

Mineralocorticoids trigger a profibrotic process in the kidney. In mouse cortical collecting duct cells, the present study addressed two main questions: 1) what are microRNAs (miRNAs) and their target genes that are changed by aldosterone? and 2) what do miRNAs, in response to aldosterone, regulate regarding signaling pathways related to fibrosis? A microarray chip assay was done in cells in the absence or presence of aldosterone treatment (10 M; 3 days). The candidate miRNAs were identified by the criteria of >30% of fold change among the significantly changed miRNAs ( P < 0.