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MicroRNAs in IgA nephropathy

Nature Reviews Nephrology volume 10, pages 249–256 (2014)Cite this article

Subjects

Key Points

  • MicroRNAs (miRNAs) might have important roles in the pathogenesis and progression of IgA nephropathy

  • Abnormal expression of miR-148b in peripheral blood mononuclear cells might account for the aberrant glycosylation of IgA1 observed in patients with IgA nephropathy

  • miR-29c attenuates renal interstitial fibrosis and is probably important in the progression of IgA nephropathy

  • Urinary miRNA levels could potentially serve as biomarkers for diagnosing and monitoring IgA nephropathy

  • The potential application of urinary miRNAs in monitoring patients with IgA nephropathy is still in the early stages of development, with available published evidence limited to small-scale studies

Abstract

IgA nephropathy is globally the most common primary glomerulonephritis, but the pathogenesis of this condition is still only partially understood. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, noncoding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression. Genome-wide analysis of renal miRNA expression has identified a number of novel miRNAs related to immunological and pathological changes. Specifically, overexpression of miR-148b might explain the aberrant glycosylation of IgA1, which has a central pathogenetic role in the early phase of IgA nephropathy. By contrast, miR-29c is an antifibrotic miRNA that is probably important in the late stages of disease progression. In addition, urinary levels of several miRNAs are significantly changed in patients with IgA nephropathy compared with healthy individuals; some alterations seem to be disease-specific, whereas others are apparently damage-related. As miRNAs in urinary sediment are relatively stable and easily quantified, they have the potential to be used as biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of disease. However, to date, limited data are available on the role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy and their potential application as biomarkers. Consequently, further studies are urgently needed to address this shortfall. Here, we review the available literature on miRNAs in relation to IgA nephropathy.

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Figure 1: Specific microRNAs, their putative targets and pathophysiological effects in IgA nephropathy.

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Acknowledgements

C.-C.S. is supported in part by the Chinese University of Hong Kong research account 6901031.

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  1. Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital, 9th Floor, Clinical Sciences Building, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, N. T. Hong Kong, Shatin, China

    Cheuk-Chun Szeto & Philip K.-T. Li

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Both authors researched data for the article, discussed its content, wrote the article, reviewed and edited the manuscript before submission.

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Correspondence to Philip K.-T. Li.

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P.K.-T.L. has received speaker honoraria from Astellas and sits on the Trial Advisory Committee of Baxter Healthcare. C.-C.S. has received research grants from Baxter Healthcare.

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Szeto, CC., Li, PT. MicroRNAs in IgA nephropathy. Nat Rev Nephrol 10, 249–256 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneph.2014.50

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