[Proto-oncogene, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, perforin and growth factor gene expression in peripheral blood...

IgA nephropathy, which is widely recognized as one of the most common primary glomerulonephritides, is characterized by the constant presence of IgA in the glomerular mesangium. We investigated proto-oncogenes, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), perforin, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) obtained from patients with IgA nephropathy, patients with other types of glomerulonephritis and healthy age-matched controls. The majority of patients with IgA nephropathy showed elevated c-myc, c-fos, c-jun, c-raf, PCNA, perforin, PDGF-B chain, and IGF-I and -II mRNA expression in PBMC, while no these mRNA expression was detected in PBMC obtained from patients with other types of glomerulonephritis or normal controls. A positive correlation was noted between mRNA levels and urinary protein excretion. mRNA expression also correlated with the histopathological findings in the renal tissue of patients with IgA nephropathy. These studies suggest that abnormal regulation of proto-oncogenes, PCNA, perforin, PDGF and IGF gene expression in PBMC may be associated with the progression of IgA nephropathy and may be useful as an indicator of disease activity.