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Expression of -actinin-1 in human glomerular mesangial cells in vivo and in vitro

¹ Medical College of Wisconsin
² Eastern Virginia Medical School

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: chenyang{at}mcw.edu.

	Abstract

Recent studies have demonstrated important roles of -actinins in glomerular disease, while little information is known about the expression profile of -actinins in human glomerular mesangial cells. Here, immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy showed that -actinin-1 exclusively distributed along mesangial cells in human glomeruli of IgA nephropathy. RT-PCR and Western blot further confirmed the expression of -actinin-1 in primary cultured human mesangial cells. We also found that transforming growth factor- 1 (TGF- 1) stimulated ACTN1 gene transcription, and that transiently transfected -actinin-1 significantly increased TGF- 1-induced plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) promoter activity in human mesangial cells. These findings suggest that -actinin-1 may play a role in human glomerular disease.

Key Words: -actinin-1, transforming growth factor- 1, mesangial cells, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, glomerular disease