Yoshihisa Nojima

Enhanced expression of platelet-derived growth factor-β receptor by high glucose. Involvement of platelet-derived growth factor in diabetic angiopathy

Coronary heart disease is a major complication of diabetic subjects, and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) has been implicated in the development of atherosclerosis. We investigated the effects of high glucose on expression of PDGF-β receptor. In a binding assay with 125I-labeled PDGF-BB homodimer, high concentrations of glucose increased high-affinity binding of PDGF-BB on human monocyte-derived macrophages and rabbit aortic medial smooth muscle cells. Northern blot analysis confirmed the enhanced effect of glucose on expression of PDGF-β receptor mRNA in human monocyte-derived macrophages. The protein kinase C inhibitor, staurosporin, completely suppressed an increase in PDGF-BB binding by high glucose, and high glucose significantly activated protein kinase C. These results indicated that PDGF-β receptor expression was enhanced by high glucose through the activation of protein kinase C. Furthermore, we observed similar effects of high glucose on both PDGF-β receptor expression and protein kinase C activation in rat mesangial cells and human capillary endothelial cells. Our results suggest that stimulation of the PDGF system is significantly involved in the development not only of diabetic atherosclerosis but also of microangiopathy.

Low capacity of erythrocytes to bind with immune complexes via C3b receptor in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: Correlation with pathological proteinuria

Erythrocytes from 51 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and 75 controls were tested for the capacity to bind aggregated human gamma-globulin labeled with radioiodine in the presence of complement. Both in patients and controls, a trimodal distribution of binding capacity was observed. Low (less than 9% of the added radioactivity), intermediate (9-17%), and high binding (more than 17%) were observed in 13, 58, and 29% in controls and in 49, 43 and 8% in lupus patients. The low binding capacity of erythrocytes persisted even after patients entered remission following steroid therapy. A genetic control of binding capacity was supported by familial surveys. Prevalence of pathological proteinuria was significantly higher in patients with low binding capacity than those with intermediate or high binding capacity (16/25 vs 7/26, P less than 0.01). These results indicate that an impaired physiological disposal of immune complexes via the erythrocyte C3b receptor in lupus patients may contribute to the development of renal involvement.

Specificity of autoantibodies to histone H1 in SLE: relationship to DNA-binding domains.

Autoantibodies in the sera of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus were examined with respect to their specificity for proteolytic fragments of histone H1 that retain, or do not retain, DNA-binding domains. 16 of 31 sera contained IgG and IgM antibodies to histone H1. IgM antibodies to H1 in 8 sera (50%) were directed at 18 kD and 20 kD alpha-chymotrypic H1 fragments that bore binding sites for DNA, as identified by staining immunoblots containing the fragments with ssDNA plus 6/0, a mouse monoclonal antibody against ssDNA, IgM with this type of histone H1 specificity did not react with comparably-sized V8 protease fragments of H1. IgM antibodies to H1 in the other patients were directed against entirely different epitopes which were preserved in V8 protease digests of H1. In serial studies of three patients during different phase of their SLE, the level of antibodies against the 18 kD and 20 kD histone H1 fragments varied in parallel with the level of anti-ssDNA antibodies in one and varied inversely in the other two. The data suggest that a significant proportion of autoantibodies to histone H1 are directed at a limited number of epitopes localized to H1 fragments containing DNA-binding sites.

Correlative expression of C3b receptors in the glomerulus and on erythrocytes.

The reactivity of glomerular C3b receptors (CR1) measured by the number of sheep erythrocytes bearing C3b (EAC) that adhered to glomeruli in frozen sections, was compared with the reactivity of erythrocyte CR1, which was determined by immune adherence hemagglutination (IAHA), in 22 patients with renal and non-renal diseases. Among seven patients with primary glomerulonephritis whose erythrocytes were positive for IAHA, the reactivity of glomerular CR1 was high in five. In the remaining two, the reactivity of glomerular CR1 was low, accompanied by severe sclerotic glomerular changes. Erythrocytes from five of six patients with systemic lupus erythematosus were IAHA negative, and their glomeruli failed to produce adherence of EAC, even in three cases in which there were no detectable C3 deposits or histopathological changes. In the other nine patients without appreciable glomerular changes, the reactivity of glomerular CR1 was low in three along with negative erythrocyte IAHA, whereas the remaining six exhibited high CR1 reactivity both in glomeruli and on erythrocytes. The results indicate a close correlation between the expression of CR1 in the glomerulus and on erythrocytes.