ABSTRACT
Urolithiasis and calcium oxalate crystal deposition diseases are still significant medical problems. In the course of nephrocalcin cDNA cloning, we have identified FKBP-12 as an inhibitory molecule of calcium oxalate crystal growth. lambdagt 11 cDNA libraries were constructed from renal carcinoma tissues and screened for nephrocalcin cDNA clones using anti-nephrocalcin antibody as a probe. Clones expressing recombinant proteins, which appeared to be antigenically cross-reactive to nephrocalcin, were isolated and their DNA sequences and inhibitory activities on the calcium oxalate crystal growth were determined. One of the clone lambdagt 11 #31-1 had a partial fragment (80 bp) of FKBP-12 cDNA as an insert. Therefore, a full-length FKBP-12 cDNA was PCR-cloned from the lambdagt 11 renal carcinoma cDNA library and was subcloned into an expression vector. The resultant recombinant FKBP-12 exhibited an inhibitory activity on the calcium oxalate crystal growth (Kd=10(-7) M). Physiological effect of the extracellular FKBP-12 was investigated in terms of macrophage activation and proinflammatory cytokine gene induction. Extracellular FKBP-12 failed to activate macrophages even at high concentrations. FKBP-12 seems an anti-stone molecule for the oxalate crystal deposition disease and recurrent stone diseases.