ABSTRACT
In this study,the effects of hyperosmolality on the expression of urea transporter A2 (UTA2) and aquaporin 2 (AQP2) were investigated in transfected immortalized mouse medullary collecting duct (mIMCD3) cell line.AQP2-GFP-pCMV6 and UTA2-GFP-pCMV6 plasmids were stably transfected into mIMCD3 cells respectively.Transfected mIMCD3 and control cells were cultured in different hypertonic media,which were made by NaCl alone,urea alone,or an equiosmolar mixture of NaCl and urea.The mRNA and protein expression of AQP2 was elevated by the stimulation of NaCl alone,urea alone and NaCl plus urea in AQP2-mIMCD3 cells; whereas NaCl alone and NaCl plus urea rather than urea alone increased the mRNA and protein expression of UTA2 in UTA2-mIMCD3 cells,and all the expression presented an osmolality-dependent manner.Moreover,the mRNA and protein expression of UTA2 rather than AQP2 was found to be synergistically up-regulated by a combination of NaC1 and urea in mIMCD3 cells.It is concluded that NaC1 and urea synergistically induce the expression of UTA2 rather than AQP2 in mIMCD3 cells,and hyperosmolality probably mediates the expression of AQP2 and UTA2 through different mechanisms.
ABSTRACT
In current study, the effect of angiotensin receptor blocker Micardis on the localization and expression of aquaporin-2 (AQP2) was investigated in the renal medullary collecting duct of mice with diabetic nephropathy (DN). Mice were divided into three groups: normal group, DN group and Micardis-treated group. Six weeks after establishment of STZ-induced DN model in mice, the expression of AQP2 in renal medulla was detected measured by semiquantitative immunofluorescence histochemistry and Western blot techniques, and the localization of AQP2 by confocal immunofluorescence laser scanning microscopy. The results showed that the urinary osmolality was decreased in DN group as compared with normal group (2.39±0.11 vs 3.16±0.16, P<0.05). Although the localization of AQP2 on the renal medulla was unchanged, the expression of AQP2 was increased significantly in DN group as compared with normal group. Micardis could partly attenuate above changes. It was concluded that treatment with Micardis could partly rectify the abnormal expression of AQP2 in renal medulla of DN mice, which suggested that rennin-angiotensin system (RAS) is implicated in the pathogenesis of DN by regulating the expression of AQP2.