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Roles of angiopoietins in kidney development and disease

Adrian S Woolf1, Luigi Gnudi, David A Long

  • 1Nephro-Urology Unit, UCL Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK. a.woolf@ich.ucl.ac.uk

Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN
|September 19, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Angiopoietins regulate blood vessel stability and survival in the kidney. Imbalances in angiopoietin signaling, particularly involving angiopoietin-1 and angiopoietin-2, contribute to kidney disease progression.

Area of Science:

  • Nephrology
  • Vascular Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Angiopoietins (Ang-1, Ang-2) are key regulators of vascular development and function.
  • Tie-2 is a receptor tyrosine kinase crucial for endothelial cell survival and Tie-1 modulates this signaling.
  • Vascular endothelial growth factor A and integrins further influence angiopoietin actions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of angiopoietins and their receptors in kidney development and disease.
  • To elucidate the specific functions of Ang-1 and Ang-2 in renal endothelial cells and podocytes.
  • To understand how angiopoietin signaling contributes to glomerular pathobiology.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of gene expression in developing and adult kidneys.
  • Studies using knockout and transgenic mouse models (Ang-1 null, Ang-2 null, Ang-2 overexpression).
  • Chimeric embryo analyses to assess Tie gene function in renal endothelial cells.

Main Results:

  • Ang-1 is expressed in mature podocytes and mesenchyme; Ang-1 null embryos show vascular remodeling defects.
  • Tie genes are essential for renal endothelial survival.
  • Ang-2 is expressed in renal vascular cells and tubules; Ang-2 null mice exhibit altered pericyte coverage.
  • Ang-1 therapy shows potential in tubulointerstitial disease models but may increase inflammation.
  • Podocyte-specific Ang-2 overexpression induces glomerular endothelial apoptosis and albuminuria, with upregulation in glomerulopathies.

Conclusions:

  • Angiopoietins play critical roles in renal vascular development, endothelial cell survival, and podocyte biology.
  • Dysregulated angiopoietin signaling contributes to the pathogenesis of kidney diseases, including glomerulopathies.
  • Targeting angiopoietin pathways may offer therapeutic strategies for kidney diseases, but requires careful consideration of potential side effects.

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