Expression of the fibroblast growth factor receptor 1-4 genes in glomeruli in anti-Thy1.1 mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis

• Published in: Virchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology 1999-11, Vol.435 (5), p.501-508
• Main Authors: JYO-OSHIRO, Y, SASAKI, T, KAWAKAMI, Y, NOHNO, T, ITOH, N, OSAWA, G, KASHIHARA, N
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antigens, Differentiation - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Count; Cell Division; Disease Models, Animal; Gene Expression; Glomerulonephritis; Glomerulonephritis, Membranoproliferative - immunology; Glomerulonephritis, Membranoproliferative - metabolism; Glomerulonephritis, Membranoproliferative - pathology; In Situ Hybridization; Kidney Glomerulus - metabolism; Kidney Glomerulus - pathology; Macrophages - cytology; Male; Medical sciences; Monocytes - cytology; Nephrology. Urinary tract diseases; Nephropathies. Renovascular diseases. Renal failure; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen - metabolism; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor - genetics; Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor - metabolism; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger - biosynthesis; Thy-1 Antigens - immunology
• ISSN: 0945-6317; 1432-2307
• DOI: 10.1007/s004280050434

Basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF2) is generally known to induce proliferation of cultured mesangial cells and is expressed in proliferative mesangial cells in anti-Thy1.1 mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (anti-Thy1.1 GN). The distribution of the FGF receptor (FGFR) has not been studied in anti-Thy1.1 GN, so we used in situ hybridization to determine whether cells expressing FGFR1-4 mRNAs could be detected. In normal rats, all glomeruli were negative for FGFR1-4 mRNA, but those of the mesangial proliferative phase expressed FGFR1-4 mRNA in proliferative mesangial cells. Proliferation of mesangial cells has not been observed in normal rats injected with FGF2( )but it has been noted in anti-Thy1.1 rats injected with FGF2. These data and our results demonstrate that mesangial cells produce and release FGF2( )after injury and that during the proliferative phase these cells upregulate FGFR in vivo. This study is the first to demonstrate expression of FGFR1-4 mRNAs in pathological glomeruli of anti-Thy1.1 GN. The FGF2 and FGFR1-4 genes were expressed in the proliferative mesangial cells. Upregulation of FGFR is necessary for mesangial proliferation by FGF2.