RGD Reference Report - Toll-like receptor 4 promotes tubular inflammation in diabetic nephropathy. - Rat Genome Database

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Toll-like receptor 4 promotes tubular inflammation in diabetic nephropathy.

Authors: Lin, M  Yiu, WH  Wu, HJ  Chan, LY  Leung, JC  Au, WS  Chan, KW  Lai, KN  Tang, SC 
Citation: Lin M, etal., J Am Soc Nephrol. 2012 Jan;23(1):86-102. doi: 10.1681/ASN.2010111210. Epub 2011 Oct 21.
RGD ID: 7207902
Pubmed: PMID:22021706   (View Abstract at PubMed)
PMCID: PMC3269929   (View Article at PubMed Central)
DOI: DOI:10.1681/ASN.2010111210   (Journal Full-text)

Inflammation contributes to the tubulointerstitial lesions of diabetic nephropathy. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) modulate immune responses and inflammatory diseases, but their role in diabetic nephropathy is not well understood. In this study, we found increased expression of TLR4 but not of TLR2 in the renal tubules of human kidneys with diabetic nephropathy compared with expression of TLR4 and TLR2 in normal kidney and in kidney disease from other causes. The intensity of tubular TLR4 expression correlated directly with interstitial macrophage infiltration and hemoglobin A1c level and inversely with estimated glomerular filtration rate. The tubules also upregulated the endogenous TLR4 ligand high-mobility group box 1 in diabetic nephropathy. In vitro, high glucose induced TLR4 expression via protein kinase C activation in a time- and dose-dependent manner, resulting in upregulation of IL-6 and chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL-2) expression via IkappaB/NF-kappaB activation in human proximal tubular epithelial cells. Silencing of TLR4 with small interfering RNA attenuated high glucose-induced IkappaB/NF-kappaB activation, inhibited the downstream synthesis of IL-6 and CCL-2, and impaired the ability of conditioned media from high glucose-treated proximal tubule cells to induce transmigration of mononuclear cells. We observed similar effects using a TLR4-neutralizing antibody. Finally, streptozotocin-induced diabetic and uninephrectomized TLR4-deficient mice had significantly less albuminuria, renal dysfunction, renal cortical NF-kappaB activation, tubular CCL-2 expression, and interstitial macrophage infiltration than wild-type animals. Taken together, these data suggest that a TLR4-mediated pathway may promote tubulointerstitial inflammation in diabetic nephropathy.

RGD Manual Disease Annotations    Click to see Annotation Detail View
TermQualifierEvidenceWithReferenceNotesSourceOriginal Reference(s)
Diabetic Nephropathies  ISOTlr4 (Mus musculus)7207902; 7207902associated with Diabetes Mellitus and ExperimentalRGD 
Diabetic Nephropathies  IMP 7207902associated with Diabetes Mellitus and ExperimentalRGD 

Objects Annotated

Genes (Rattus norvegicus)
Tlr4  (toll-like receptor 4)

Genes (Mus musculus)
Tlr4  (toll-like receptor 4)

Genes (Homo sapiens)
TLR4  (toll like receptor 4)


Additional Information