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Updated: May 21, 2026
Analyses of Proteinuria, Renal Infiltration of Leukocytes, and Renal Deposition of Proteins in Lupus-prone MRL/lpr Mice
Published on: June 8, 2022
[Expression of STAT3 and PIAS3 in renal tissues of MRL/lpr mice]
1Department of Nephrology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. YangHui22shuang@yahoo.com.cn
Objective:
To investigate the expression of STAT3 and PIAS3 in the renal tissues of rats with lupus nephritis.
Methods:
The kidneys were harvested from 18-week-old female MRL/lpr mice (lupus nephritis model group) and age-matched female BALB/C mice (normal control group). The expressions of STAT3 and PIAS3 mRNA in the renal tissues were measured by real-time quantitative RT-PCR, and the protein levels of STAT3 and p-STAT3 were examined using Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. The laboratory indices and renal histopathology of the mice were also investigated.
Results:
The urinary protein, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine levels were significantly higher in MRL/lpr mice than in the control mice (P<0.05). The renal histopathology of MRL/lpr mice was characterized by increased mesangiocapillary proliferation and prominent inflammatory infiltration in the tubulo-interstitium, which were absent in the kidneys of normal control mice. Compared with the control mice, MRL/lpr mice showed significantly increased STAT3 mRNA and p-STAT3 protein levels in the renal tissues (P<0.05) with significantly lowered levels of PIAS3 mRNA (P<0.01). No significant difference was noted in the total STAT3 protein levels between MRL/lpr and control mice.
Conclusion:
MRL/lpr mice have significantly increased expressions of STAT3 mRNA and p-STAT3 protein and decreased expression of mRNA PIAS3 in the kidneys compared with BALB/C mice.
