Project description:Freshly isolated rat kidney medullary thick ascending limbs were subjected for transcript profiling. Three microarray experiments were done to obtain the kidney medullary thick ascending limb transcriptome.
Project description:Characterization of gene expression for each renal cell type is essential for identifying mechanisms underlying kidney physiology and pathophysiology. Here, we built a transcriptome landscape mouse renal epithelial cells by deep sequencing of all 14 mouse renal segments, upon which we developed an enrichment protocol to characterize distal nephron cells by single-cell RNA-seq. Our renal tubule expression atlas provided landscapes of gene expression and alternative splicing along the renal tubule segments. We identified, and integrated segment-specific genes with human gene nomenclature to understand the gene function and conservation. We further developed an enrichment strategy for single-cell analysis of distal nephron cells. The analysis revealed heterogeneous gene expression in DCT1-DCT2-CNT. Moreover, we identified two mosaic cell types in thick ascending limb and verified their presence in mouse kidney tissue. Our data provides a rich resource for kidney research and we provide our data user-friendly at https://esbl.nhlbi.nih.gov/MRECA/Nephron/ and https://esbl.nhlbi.nih.gov/MRECA/DCT/.
Project description:To gain molecular insight into kidney function, we performed a high-resolution quantitative analysis of gene expression in glomeruli and nine different nephron seg-ments dissected from mouse kidney using the long-SAGE method. We also developed dedicated bioinformatics tools and databases to annotate mRNA tags as transcripts. Over 800,000 mRNA SAGE tags were sequenced corresponding to >20,000 different mRNA tags present at least twice in at least one library. Hierarchical clustering analysis of tags demonstrated similarities between the three anatomical sub-segments of the proximal tubule, between the cortical and medullary segments of the thick ascending limb of Henle’s loop, and between the three segments constituting the aldosterone sensitive distal nephron segments, whereas the glomerulus and distal convoluted tubule clusterized independently. We also identified highly specific mRNA markers of each subgroup of nephron segments and of most nephron segments. Tag annotation also identified numbers of putative antisense mRNAs. This database constitutes a reference resource in which the quantitative expression of a given gene can be compared with that of other genes in the same nephron segment, or between different segments of the nephron. To illustrate possible applications of this database, we performed a deeper analysis of the glomerulus transcriptome which unexpectedly revealed expression of several ion and water carriers; within the glomerulus, they were found to be preferentially expressed in the parietal sheet. It also revealed the major role of the zinc finger transcription factor Wt1 in the specificity of gene expression in the glomerulus. Finally, functional annotation of glomerulus-specific transcripts showed the high proliferation activity of glomerular cells. Immunolabelling with anti-PCNA antibodies confirmed a high percentage of proliferating glomerular parietal cells. Approximately 1000 tubules from each different nephron segments were microdissected from 6-8 male CD1 mice. Over 800,000 mRNA SAGE tags were sequenced corresponding to >20,000 different mRNA tags present at least twice in at least one library.
Project description:Uromodulin (UMOD) is a secreted glycoprotein exclusively expressed by the cells lining the thick ascending limb of the loop of henle and the early distal tubule of the kidney nephron. Mutations in UMOD that interfere with proper folding of the protein are responsible for a progressive form of interstitial fibrotic kidney disease that leads to end stage renal disease, referred to as Uromodulin Associated Kidney Disease (UAKD). To assess key transcriptional changes associated with the progression of UAKD, we generated a knock-in mouse model harboring the mouse equivalent of the human mutation C148W. We profiled both the whole kidney tissue, as well as the specific UMOD+ cell populaitons in mutant and wild type mice. Analysis of differentially expressed genes in whole tissue and UMOD+ cells revealed a strong TNF-signaling signature, as well as TRIB3 upregulation, which is a key mediator of the intrinsic ER-stress mediated cell death pathway.
Project description:We created a rat renal congestion model and investigated the effect of renal congestion on hemodynamics and molecular mechanisms. The inferior vena cava (IVC) between the renal veins was ligated by suture in male Sprague-Dawley rats to increase upstream IVC pressure and induce congestion in the left kidney only. Left kidney congestion reduced renal blood flow, glomerular filtration rate, and increased renal interstitial hydrostatic pressure. Tubulointerstitial and glomerular injury and medullary thick ascending limb hypoxia were observed only in the congestive kidneys. Molecules related to extracellular matrix expansion, tubular injury, and focal adhesion were upregulated in microarray analysis. Renal decapsulation ameliorated the tubulointerstitial injury. Electron microscopy captured pericyte detachment in the congestive kidneys. Transgelin and platelet-derived growth factor receptors, as indicators of pericyte-myofibroblast transition, were upregulated in the pericytes and the adjacent interstitium. With the compression of the peritubular capillaries and tubules, hypoxia and physical stress induce pericyte detachment, which could result in extracellular matrix expansion and tubular injury in renal congestion.
Project description:Uromodulin-retention in thick ascending limb affects SCD1 in neighboring S3 proximal tubule in males: transcriptome studies in mouse models of Uromodulin-associated kidney disease
Project description:To gain molecular insight into kidney function, we performed a high-resolution quantitative analysis of gene expression in glomeruli and nine different nephron seg-ments dissected from mouse kidney using the long-SAGE method. We also developed dedicated bioinformatics tools and databases to annotate mRNA tags as transcripts. Over 800,000 mRNA SAGE tags were sequenced corresponding to >20,000 different mRNA tags present at least twice in at least one library. Hierarchical clustering analysis of tags demonstrated similarities between the three anatomical sub-segments of the proximal tubule, between the cortical and medullary segments of the thick ascending limb of Henle’s loop, and between the three segments constituting the aldosterone sensitive distal nephron segments, whereas the glomerulus and distal convoluted tubule clusterized independently. We also identified highly specific mRNA markers of each subgroup of nephron segments and of most nephron segments. Tag annotation also identified numbers of putative antisense mRNAs. This database constitutes a reference resource in which the quantitative expression of a given gene can be compared with that of other genes in the same nephron segment, or between different segments of the nephron. To illustrate possible applications of this database, we performed a deeper analysis of the glomerulus transcriptome which unexpectedly revealed expression of several ion and water carriers; within the glomerulus, they were found to be preferentially expressed in the parietal sheet. It also revealed the major role of the zinc finger transcription factor Wt1 in the specificity of gene expression in the glomerulus. Finally, functional annotation of glomerulus-specific transcripts showed the high proliferation activity of glomerular cells. Immunolabelling with anti-PCNA antibodies confirmed a high percentage of proliferating glomerular parietal cells.