New approach to treating the kidney disease Alport syndrome?
- Date:
- February 8, 2010
- Source:
- Journal of Clinical Investigation
- Summary:
- Alport syndrome is a progressive hereditary kidney disease with no definitive therapy. It is caused by mutations in any of the collagen IV genes (COL4A3, COL4A4, and COL4A5). Researchers in Japan, have now identified a role for the protein USAG-1 in the development of disease in mice that model Alport syndrome (Col4a3-/- mice).
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Alport syndrome is a progressive hereditary kidney disease with no definitive therapy. It is caused by mutations in any of the collagen IV genes (COL4A3, COL4A4, and COL4A5).
Motoko Yanagita and colleagues, at Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan, have now identified a role for the protein USAG-1 in the development of disease in mice that model Alport syndrome (Col4a3-/- mice).
As deletion of Usag1 in Col4a3-/- mice led to substantial attenuation of disease progression, preservation of kidney function, and extension of life span, the authors suggest that inhibiting USAG-1 might be a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of Alport syndrome.
The research appears in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Journal of Clinical Investigation. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
- Mari Tanaka, Misako Asada, Atsuko Y. Higashi, Jin Nakamura, Akiko Oguchi, Mayumi Tomita, Sachiko Yamada, Nariaki Asada, Masayuki Takase, Tomohiko Okuda, Hiroshi Kawachi, Aris N. Economides, Elizabeth Robertson, Satoru Takahashi, Takeshi Sakurai, Roel Goldschmeding, Eri Muso, Atsushi Fukatsu, Toru Kita and Motoko Yanagita. Loss of the BMP antagonist USAG-1 ameliorates disease in a mouse model of the progressive hereditary kidney disease Alport syndrome. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2010; DOI: 10.1172/JCI39569
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