Original InvestigationsTubular phenotypic change in progressive tubulointerstitial fibrosis in human glomerulonephritis☆,☆☆,★
Section snippets
Patients
Open renal biopsy specimens from 127 patients from the Department of Nephrology, Tokai University School of Medicine (Isehara, Japan), were examined on this study. The study was approved by the University Review Board. Disease category was based on histological examination of biopsy specimens. The cohort consisted of 19 cases of minimal change disease (MCD), 90 cases of immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy, and 18 cases of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN; Table 1).Patients with IgA
Normal human kidney
Immunohistochemistry staining identified the presence of α-SMA protein in smooth muscle cells of blood vessels in normal human kidney (Fig 1A).
Discussion
This study has identified phenotypic change in tubular epithelial cells in areas of tubular damage and fibrosis in human glomerulonephritis. This is based on immunohistochemistry staining showing de novo expression of the mesenchymal marker α-SMA and loss of the epithelial marker cytokeratin by cuboidal tubular epithelial cells. In addition, these phenotypic changes were associated with tubular collagen production.
Although transdifferentiation of epithelial cells into mesenchymal cells has been
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Supported in part by Committee of Research and Conference Grants grant no. 98/33704 from The Hong Kong University.
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Address reprint requests to Hui Y. Lan, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine-Nephrology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Alkek Bldg N520, Houston, TX 77030. E-mail: [email protected]
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