ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the Lymphocyte-specific protein-tyrosine kinase(Lck)gene ex- pression in the renal tubule epithelial cells(TECs)of lupus nephritis,and the effect of interlenkin-2(IL-2) stimulation on its expression.Methods Proximal TECs derived from 6 weeks old spontaneous systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)BXSB mice were exposed to IL-2(100 U/ml),the expression of Lck mRNA and protein was examined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)and immunoblotting respectively. The difference of Lck gene expression before and after IL-2 stimulation was investigated.The expression of Lck protein in TECs of renal tissues of BXSB mice and human with lupus nephritis was observed through im- munohistochemistry.Results The expression of Lck mRNA and protein was very low in cultured TECs of 6 weeks old BXSB mice,but increased sharply after IL-2 stimulation(P