Wang Haiyan, Yue Zhihui, Wu Jinlang, Liu Ting, Mo Ying, Jiang Xiaoyun, Sun Liangzhong
Children's Kidney Disease Center, Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, P. R. China; Department of Pediatrics, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
Children's Kidney Disease Center, Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
PLoS One. 2015 Aug 14;10(8):e0135648. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135648. eCollection 2015.
The pathogenesis of proteinuria in Alport syndrome (AS) remains unclear. Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) is a key regulator of the glomerular filtration barrier (GFB). This study explored the expression of VEGFA in the glomeruli and its accumulation in the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) and their relationship with podocyte injury and proteinuria in Alport syndrome (AS). Clinical data and renal tissues of control patients (11 cases) and AS patients (25 cases) were included. AS patients were further divided into 2 groups according to the quantities of their urinary protein: mild to moderate proteinuria group (proteinuria <50 mg/kg/d, 15 cases) and heavy proteinuria group (proteinuria ≥50 mg/kg/d, 10 cases). The expression and distribution of VEGFA and VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) in the GFB, the phosphorylation of VEGFR2 (p-VEGFR2) and nephrin (p-nephrin), and the expression of synaptopodin and nephrin in the glomeruli were detected by immune electron microscopy and/or immunofluorescence, and their relationships to proteinuria in AS patients were analyzed. The accumulation of VEGFA in the GBM was increased in AS patients. The expression of VEGFA and the levels of p-VEGFR2 and p-nephrin in glomeruli were increased and were positively correlated with the degree of proteinuria in AS patients. The expression of synaptopodin and nephrin were decreased and were negatively correlated with the degree of proteinuria in AS patients. The over expressed VEGFA in the glomeruli and its accumulation in the GBM may activate the VEGFA-VEGFR2 and nephrin signaling pathways and lead to podocyte injury and occurrence of proteinuria in AS.
奥尔波特综合征(AS)中蛋白尿的发病机制仍不清楚。血管内皮生长因子A(VEGFA)是肾小球滤过屏障(GFB)的关键调节因子。本研究探讨了VEGFA在肾小球中的表达及其在肾小球基底膜(GBM)中的蓄积情况,以及它们与奥尔波特综合征(AS)中足细胞损伤和蛋白尿的关系。纳入了对照患者(11例)和AS患者(25例)的临床资料及肾组织。AS患者根据尿蛋白量进一步分为2组:轻度至中度蛋白尿组(蛋白尿<50 mg/kg/d,15例)和重度蛋白尿组(蛋白尿≥50 mg/kg/d,10例)。通过免疫电子显微镜和/或免疫荧光检测GFB中VEGFA和血管内皮生长因子受体2(VEGFR2)的表达和分布、VEGFR2(p-VEGFR2)和nephrin(p-nephrin)的磷酸化,以及肾小球中synaptopodin和nephrin的表达,并分析它们与AS患者蛋白尿的关系。AS患者GBM中VEGFA的蓄积增加。肾小球中VEGFA的表达、p-VEGFR2和p-nephrin的水平升高,且与AS患者的蛋白尿程度呈正相关。synaptopodin和nephrin的表达降低,且与AS患者的蛋白尿程度呈负相关。肾小球中VEGFA的过表达及其在GBM中的蓄积可能激活VEGFA-VEGFR2和nephrin信号通路,导致AS中足细胞损伤和蛋白尿的发生。