Glomerular CD34 expression in short- and long-term diabetes.

Aging and diabetes are associated with exacerbated expression of adhesion molecules. Given their importance in endothelial dysfunction and their possible involvement in the alteration of glomerular permeability occurring in diabetes, we have evaluated expression of the sialomucin-type adhesion molecule CD34 in renal glomerular cells of normal and diabetic animals at two different ages by colloidal gold immunocytochemistry and immunoblotting. CD34 labeling was mostly assigned to the plasma membranes of glomerular endothelium and mesangial processes.