Related Experiment Videos
Insulin-responsive glucose transporter expression in renal microvessels and glomeruli
F C Brosius1, J P Briggs, R G Marcus
1Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor.
Kidney International
|November 1, 1992
Summary
The insulin-responsive glucose transporter (GLUT4) is found in rat kidney cells, particularly in microvessels and glomeruli. This suggests potential alterations in kidney glucose metabolism in diabetes.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Endocrinology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Insulin-responsive glucose transporter (GLUT4) is crucial for glucose uptake in fat and skeletal muscle.
- GLUT4 expression is also detected in the kidney, but its specific renal localization and function remain less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the precise sites of GLUT4 expression within the rat kidney.
- To determine if renal cells expressing GLUT4 may be affected by diabetes mellitus.
Main Methods:
- Indirect immunofluorescence using specific anti-peptide antisera.
- Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification of cDNA from microdissected renal structures.
- Northern blotting to detect GLUT4 mRNA in cultured cells.
Main Results:
- GLUT4 was detected in smooth muscle cells of renal microvasculature, glomeruli, and cultured glomerular mesangial and epithelial cells.
- PCR confirmed GLUT4 distribution in glomeruli, microvessels, and tubules.
- Northern blotting showed GLUT4 mRNA in cultured glomerular mesangial cells.
- Data indicated highest GLUT4 expression in renal microvessels.
Conclusions:
- Specific renal cells, including renal microvascular smooth muscle cells, express the insulin-responsive glucose transporter (GLUT4).
- These findings suggest that altered glucose uptake and metabolism in the kidney may occur in conditions like diabetes mellitus.