The role of osteopontin in kidney diseases
Background Osteopontin (OPN) is a pleiotropic glycoprotein expressed in various cell types in animals and in humans, including bone, immune, smooth muscle, epithelial and endothelial cells. Moreover, OPN is found in kidneys (in the thick ascending limbs of the loop of Henle and in distal nephrons) a...
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Published in | Inflammation research Vol. 68; no. 2; pp. 93 - 102 |
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Main Author | |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Cham
Springer International Publishing
01.02.2019
Springer Nature B.V |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Background
Osteopontin (OPN) is a pleiotropic glycoprotein expressed in various cell types in animals and in humans, including bone, immune, smooth muscle, epithelial and endothelial cells. Moreover, OPN is found in kidneys (in the thick ascending limbs of the loop of Henle and in distal nephrons) and urine. The protein plays an important role in mineralization and bone resorption. In addition, OPN is involved in the regulation of immunity and inflammation, angiogenesis and apoptosis. It was demonstrated that OPN and some OPN gene polymorphic variants are associated with the pathogenesis and progression of multiple disorders, such as cancer, autoimmune, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, recent studies suggested that OPN is associated with the pathogenesis of renal failure.
Methods
In this review, I briefly discussed the role of OPN and its gene polymorphisms in kidney physiology, as well as in various kidney diseases.
Findings and Conclusion
Most studies reported that OPN expression is elevated in urolithiasis, and also in acute and chronic kidney diseases, and in renal allograft dysfunction. Moreover, it was demonstrated that polymorphic variants of the OPN gene may be associated with renal failure. However, some reports suggested that OPN is essential for tubulogenesis, and that it inhibits calcium oxalate crystal formation and retention, nitric oxide synthesis, cell apoptosis and promotes cell regeneration.
Thus, further studies are required to fully understand the role of OPN in kidney physiology and pathology. Eventually, these studies may result in the identification of OPN as a valuable marker for renal dysfunction prognosis and treatment. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-3 content type line 23 ObjectType-Review-1 |
ISSN: | 1023-3830 1420-908X |
DOI: | 10.1007/s00011-018-1200-5 |