Vegfa protects the glomerular microvasculature in diabetes

Gavasker A. Sivaskandarajah, Marie Jeansson, Yoshiro Maezawa, Vera Eremina, Hans J. Baelde, Susan E. Quaggin*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

125 Scopus citations

Abstract

Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) expression is increased in glomeruli in the context of diabetes. Here, we tested the hypothesis that this upregulation of VEGFA protects the glomerular microvasculature in diabetes and that therefore inhibition of VEGFA will accelerate nephropathy. To determine the role of glomerular Vegfa in the development and progression of diabetic nephropathy, we used an inducible Cre-loxP gene-targeting system that enabled genetic deletion of Vegfa selectively from glomerular podocytes of wild-type or diabetic mice. Type 1 diabetes was induced in mice using streptozotocin (STZ). We then assessed the extent of glomerular dysfunction by measuring proteinuria, glomerular pathology, and glomerular cell apoptosis. Vegfa expression increased in podocytes in the STZ model of diabetes. After 7 weeks of diabetes, diabetic mice lacking Vegfa in podocytes exhibited significantly greater proteinuria with profound glomerular scarring and increased apoptosis compared with control mice with diabetes or Vegfa deletion without diabetes. Reduced local production of glomerular Vegfa in a mouse model of type 1 diabetes promotes endothelial injury accelerating the progression of glomerular injury. These results suggest that upregulation of VEGFA in diabetic kidneys protects the micro-vasculature from injury and that reduction of VEGFA in diabetes may be harmful.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2958-2966
Number of pages9
JournalDiabetes
Volume61
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2012

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Internal Medicine
  • Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

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