Microarray analysis of tonsils of IgA nephropathy patients

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common primary glomerulonephritis. Its close relation with the tonsils is well known because tonsillitis sometimes causes aggravation of urinary findings or macrohematuria. However, the genes specific to the tonsils of IgAN patients are not clarified. To clarify the specific gene expression in the tonsils of IgAN patients, we performed tonsillectomy and corticosteroid IV therapy as a treatment of IgAN, analyzed the gene expression in the tonsils by microarray and compared it with that in tonsils from chronic tonsillitis patients. The upregulated genes seem to be categorized into two groups: muscle-related genes and immunerelated genes. The downregulated genes include the polymeric Ig receptor (pIgR) which was reportedly involved in single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of Japanese IgAN patients.