Medical Journals

Overexpression of Pkd1 Causes Polycystic Kidney Disease.

Authors:
  • Thivierge Caroline
  • Kurbegovic Almira
  • Couillard Martin
  • Guillaume Richard
  • Coté Olivier
  • Trudel Marie

From: Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montreal, Molecular Genetics and Development, 110 ave. des Pins ouest, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2W 1R7.

Molecular and cellular biology

  • Publish Date: Feb 2006
  • ISSN: 0270-7306
  • Volume: 26
  • Issue: 4
  • Pages: 1538-48
  • Medium: Print
  • Language: English
  • Citation (JAMA): Thivierge Caroline, Kurbegovic Almira, Couillard Martin, et al. Overexpression of Pkd1 Causes Polycystic Kidney Disease.. Mol. Cell. Biol. Feb 2006;26:1538-48

Abstract

The pathogenetic mechanisms underlying autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) remain to be elucidated. While there is evidence that Pkd1 gene haploinsufficiency and loss of heterozygosity can cause cyst formation in mice, paradoxically high levels of Pkd1 expression have been detected in the kidneys of ADPKD patients. To determine whether Pkd1 gain of function can be a pathogenetic process, a Pkd1 bacterial artificial chromosome (Pkd1-BAC) was modified by homologous recombination to solely target a sustained Pkd1 expression preferentially to the adult kidney. Several transgenic lines were generated that specifically overexpressed the Pkd1 transgene in the kidneys 2- to 15-fold over Pkd1 endogenous levels. All transgenic mice reproducibly developed tubular and glomerular cysts and renal insufficiency and died of renal failure. This model demonstrates that overexpression of wild-type Pkd1 alone is sufficient to trigger cystogenesis resembling human ADPKD. Our results also uncovered a striking increased renal c-myc expression in mice from all transgenic lines, indicating that c-myc is a critical in vivo downstream effector of Pkd1 molecular pathways. This study not only produced an invaluable and first PKD model to evaluate molecular pathogenesis and therapies but also provides evidence that gain of function could be a pathogenetic mechanism in ADPKD.

Mesh Headings (Keywords): Animals, Base Sequence, Chromosomes, Artificial, Bacterial, DNA, Disease Models, Animal, Gene Expression, Genes, myc, Humans, Kidney, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Inbred CBA, Mice, Transgenic, Organ Specificity, Polycystic Kidney, Autosomal Dominant, Proteins, Recombination, Genetic, Signal Transduction, TRPP Cation Channels


Check for Full Text / PubMed Unique Identifier (PMID): 16449663


This abstract is part of PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. PubMed includes more than 17 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals for biomedical articles. See Copyright and Disclaimers.

Linked medical terms appearing on this page are added by Healia to help readers find more information and are not part of the original PubMed document.

The data herein was last updated on July 8th, 2008 and may not reflect the most current and accurate data available from NLM.


Advertisements

About | Privacy Policy | Business Solutions | Advertise | Contact | Add Healia to your site

©2012. Healia / Meredith Corporation  

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. All content on this Web site, including medical opinion and any other health-related information, is for informational purposes only and should not be used for a specific diagnosis or individual treatment plan for any situation. Use of this site and the information contained herein does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Always seek the direct advice of your doctor in connection with any questions or issues you may have regarding your own health or the health of others.