Exploring the connection between chronic renal fibrosis and bone morphogenic protein-7

• R. Kalluri ^[1] ; M. Zeisberg ^[1]
  1. [1] Harvard Medical School

     Harvard Medical School

     City of Boston, Estados Unidos

     
• Localización: Histology and histopathology: cellular and molecular biology, ISSN-e 1699-5848, ISSN 0213-3911, Vol. 18, Nº. 1, 2003, págs. 217-224
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Tubulointerstitial fibrosis is a hallmark feature of chronic renal injury. Specific therapies to control the progression of renal fibrosis towards endstage renal failure are still limited. Transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) has been identified as a major mediator of renal fibrosis. Recent reports have suggested that Bone Morphogenic Protein-7 (BMP-7), another member of the TGF-ß superfamily, accelerates repair of acute renal injury and ameliorates progression of chronic renal fibrosis in a variety of animal models. Interestingly, BMP-7, an endogenous molecule which is present in the normal kidney, vastly decreases its expression during renal injury. Although, the mechanism of BMP-7 action in the kidney is not yet fully understood, the idea of an endogenous molecule with reno-protective function is intriguing