Kidney injury molecule-1 expression in murine polycystic kidney disease

EW Kuehn, KM Park, S Somlo… - American Journal of …, 2002 - journals.physiology.org
EW Kuehn, KM Park, S Somlo, JV Bonventre
American Journal of Physiology-Renal Physiology, 2002journals.physiology.org
Kidney injury molecule-1 (Kim-1) is a type 1 membrane protein maximally upregulated in
proliferating and dedifferentiated tubular cells after renal ischemia. Because epithelial
dedifferentiation, proliferation, and local ischemia may play a role in the pathophysiology of
autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, we investigated Kim-1 expression in a
mouse model of this disease. In the Pkd2WS25/− mouse model for autosomal dominant
polycystic kidney disease, cystic kidneys show markedly upregulated Kim-1 levels …
Kidney injury molecule-1 (Kim-1) is a type 1 membrane protein maximally upregulated in proliferating and dedifferentiated tubular cells after renal ischemia. Because epithelial dedifferentiation, proliferation, and local ischemia may play a role in the pathophysiology of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, we investigated Kim-1 expression in a mouse model of this disease. In the Pkd2WS25/− mouse model for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, cystic kidneys show markedly upregulated Kim-1 levels compared with noncystic control kidneys. Kim-1 is present in a subset of cysts of different sizes and segmental origins and in clusters of proximal tubules near cysts. Kim-1-expressing tubular cells show decreased complexity and quantity of basolateral staining for Na-K-ATPase. Other changes in polarity characteristic of ischemic injury are not present in Kim-1-expressing pericystic tubules. Polycystin-2 expression is preserved in Kim-1-expressing tubules. The interstitium surrounding Kim-1-expressing tubules shows high proliferative activity and staining for smooth muscle α-actin, characteristic of myofibroblasts. Although the functional role of the protein in cysts remains unknown, Kim-1 expression in tubules is strongly associated with partial dedifferentiation of epithelial cells and may play a role in the development of interstitial fibrosis.
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