| First Author | Tanaka M | Year | 2008 |
| Journal | Kidney Int | Volume | 73 |
| Issue | 2 | Pages | 181-91 |
| PubMed ID | 17943079 | Mgi Jnum | J:152884 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:4360173 | Doi | 10.1038/sj.ki.5002626 |
| Citation | Tanaka M, et al. (2008) Expression of BMP-7 and USAG-1 (a BMP antagonist) in kidney development and injury. Kidney Int 73(2):181-91 |
| abstractText | Once developed, end-stage renal disease cannot be reversed by any current therapy. Bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7), however, is a possible treatment for reversing end-stage renal disease. Previously, we showed that the BMP antagonist uterine sensitization-associated gene-1 (USAG-1, also known as ectodin and sclerostin domain-containing 1) negatively regulates the renoprotective action of BMP-7. Here, we show that the ratio between USAG-1 and BMP-7 expression increased dramatically in the later stage of kidney development, with USAG-1 expression overlapping BMP-7 only in differentiated distal tubules. Examination of USAG-1 expression in developing kidney indicated that a mosaic of proximal and distal tubule marker-positive cells reside side by side in the immature nephron. This suggests that each cell controls its own fate for becoming a proximal or distal tubule cell. In kidney injury models, the ratio of USAG-1 to BMP-7 expression decreased with kidney damage but increased after subsequent kidney regeneration. Our study suggests that USAG-1 expression in a kidney biopsy could be useful in predicting outcome. |