Chemokine gene expression in anti-glomerular basement membrane antibody glomerulonephritis

Chemokines may be important in the pathogenesis of glomerular leukocyte infiltration in antiglomerular basement membrane (GBM) antibody (Ab) glomerulonephritis (GN). We studied the expression of the C-C chemokines [macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1 alpha, monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, and RANTES] and C-X-C chemokines [platelet factor 4 (PF4), interferon-inducible protein of 10 kDa (IP-10), MIP-2, and cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC)] at 30 min, 3, 6, 9, 15, and 24 h after induction of heterologous-phase anti-GBM Ab GN in Lewis rats. There was a rapid induction of CINC, MIP-2, MCP-1, and MIP-1 alpha mRNAs in the glomeruli of nephritic rats 30 min after administration of the anti-GBM Ab, whereas increases in PF4 and IP-10 mRNAs were not seen until 3 h. The mRNA expression of PF4, MIP-1 alpha, MIP-2, and IP-10 peaked at 3 h, whereas CINC and MCP-1 peaked at 6 and 15 h, respectively. By comparison, the expression of RANTES mRNA in rats with anti-GBM Ab GN did not differ from those of control rats. These changes in chemokine gene expression were associated with glomerular polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and monocyte/macrophage infiltration which peaked at 3 h (20.8 +/- 11.1 PMN/glomerulus) and 24 h (8.2 +/- 1.0 ED-1 cells/glomerulus), respectively. The administration of dexamethasone suppressed glomerular chemokine mRNA expression (60-98%) at both 3 and 15 h, which was associated with a 50-100% reduction in glomerular PMN and monocyte/macrophage infiltration, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)