Cell Biology – Immunology – Pathology
Kidney International (2003) 63, 2094–2102; doi:10.1046/j.1523-1755.2003.00013.x
Epigenetic and genetic analysis of p16 in dermal fibroblasts from type 1 diabetic patients with nephropathy
Lixia Zeng, Yashpal S Kanwar, Nail Amro, Carrie Phillips, Mark Molitch, Daniel Batlle and Farhad R Danesh
Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology/Hypertension, Division of Endocrinology/Metabolism and Department of Pathology, The Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
Correspondence: Farhad R. Danesh, M.D., Division of Nephrology/Hypertension, The Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Medical Science Building, 400 East Ontario Ave., Room 229, Chicago, Illinois 60611. E-mail: f-rahimi@northwestern.edu
Received 13 September 2002; Revised 4 December 2002; Accepted 27 January 2003.
Abstract
Epigenetic and genetic analysis of p16 in dermal fibroblasts from type 1 diabetic patients with nephropathy.
Background
Several studies have shown that cultured skin fibroblasts from patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN) exhibit a hyperplastic growth phenotype. Increased DNA synthesis in cells from patients with DN may ultimately involve alterations in cell cycle regulatory proteins. p16 protein is a member of INK4 family of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, which plays an important role in cell cycle regulation. In this study, we examined the correlation between p16 protein expression in cultured dermal fibroblasts from type 1 diabetic patients and the presence of DN.
Method
Western blot analysis was performed to compare p16 protein expression in skin fibroblasts from patients with DN as compared to control subjects, diabetic patients without DN, and nondiabetic patients with nephropathy. Transcriptional regulation of the p16 gene was assessed using competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Methylation status of the promoter region of p16 was examined using methylation-specific PCR, and we used single-stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP)-PCR to assess p16 single-nucleotide polymorphism.
Results
Cells from diabetic patients with DN had nondetectable to significantly lower protein expression of p16. Similarly, mRNA expression of p16 was significantly lower in diabetic patients with DN. No hypermethylation of p16 gene was detected, and no abnormal migrating bands were noticed on SSCP-PCR analysis in cells from patients with DN.
Conclusion
Our data indicate that cells from patients with DN exhibit significantly lower protein and mRNA expression of p16. This study could have not only important implications for the understanding of the pathogenesis of DN, but also the absence of p16 may ultimately serve as an early marker for DN.
Keywords:
diabetic nephropathy, cell cycle, methylation, polymorphism
