Project description:ICR-derived glomerulonephritis (ICGN) mice is a novel inbred strain of mice with a hereditary nephrotic syndrome. Deletion mutation of tensin 2 (Tns2), a focal adhesion molecule, has been suggested to be responsible for nephrotic syndrome in ICGN mice, however, existence of other associative factors has been suggested. To identify additional associative factors and to better understand onset mechanism of nephrotic syndrome in ICGN mice, comprehensive gene expression analysis using DNA microarray was conducted. Immune-related pathways were markedly altered in ICGN mice kidney as compared with ICR mice. Furthermore, gene expression level of complement component 1, s subcomponent (C1s), whose human homologue has been reported to associate with lupus nephritis, was markedly low in ICGN mice kidney. RNA from renal cortex of 4- and 8-week-old ICGN and ICR mice was extracted and processed for hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays (N=3).
Project description:We created a rat sugar cataract model and examined the effects of various inhibitors on lens clouding. Lenses were removed from 6-week-old SD rats and cultured in M199 medium containing 30 mM galactose.
Project description:The Dbl family of proteins represents a large group of proto-oncogenes involved in cell growth regulation. Alterations of the normal function of these proteins lead to pathological processes such as developmental disorders and neoplastic transformation. We have generated transgenic mice introducing the onco-Dbl cDNA sequences linked to the metallothionein promoter into the germ line of FVB mice and found that onco-Dbl expression affected proliferation, migration and differentiation of lens epithelial cells. We used high density oligonucleotide microarray to define the transcriptional profile induced by Dbl in the lenses of transgenic mice and observed modulation of genes encoding proteins promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Moreover, genes encoding proteins involved in the positive regulation of apoptosis were markedly down regulated while anti-apoptotic genes were strongly up-regulated. Finally, several genes encoding proteins involved in the process of angiogenesis were up-regulated. These observations were validated by histological and immunohistochemical examination of the transgenic lenses, where vascularization can be readily observed. Thus, onco-Dbl expression in mouse lenses induces disruption of the lens architecture, epithelial cell proliferation, EMT, evasion from cell death, and aberrant angiogenesis. Whole lenses were removed from 2, 14, and 42 day old Dbl transgenic and wild type mice. 4 to 8 individual lenses were pooled . Three independent pools from each time and condition were used as replicates.