Deletion of the miR-143/145 cluster leads to hydronephrosis in mice.

ABSTRACT: Obstructive nephropathy, the leading cause of kidney failure in children, can be anatomic or functional. The underlying causes of functional hydronephrosis are not well understood. miRNAs, which are small noncoding RNAs, regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. We found that miR-145-5p, a member of the miR-143/145 cluster that is highly expressed in smooth muscle cells of the renal vasculature, was present in the pelvicalyceal system and the ureter. To evaluate whether the miR-143/145 cluster is involved in urinary tract function we performed morphologic, functional, and gene expression studies in mice carrying a whole-body deletion of miR-143/145. miR-143/145-deficient mice developed hydronephrosis, characterized by severe papillary atrophy and dilatation of the pelvica

SUBMITTER: Medrano S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4258506 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature