Caveolae in mesangial cells and caveolin expression in mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis1

摘要

Caveolae in mesangial cells and caveolin expression in mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis.BackgroundCaveolae are plasma membrane invaginations that have a diameter of 40 to 60 nm. Recent evidences have demonstrated that caveolae contain a variety of signal transduction molecules. Caveolin is a marker protein of caveolae and has been proposed to play a negative regulatory role in signal transduction. The aim of this study was to investigate the behavior of caveolae and caveolin in experimental glomerulonephritis, the localization of both platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and transforming growth factor- (TGF-) receptors in the caveolae membrane, and the regulation of caveolin expression in cultured mesangial cells.