Regulation of human mesangial cell collagen expression by transforming growth factor-[beta]1. Poncelet, Anne-Christine, and H. William Schnaper. Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
APStracts 5:0106F, 1998.
Transforming growth factor (TGF)-[beta]1 has been implicated in glomerular extracellular matrix accumulation. Since the spectrum and mechanism of changes in collagen turnover have not been fully characterized, we evaluated effects of TGF-[beta]1 on collagen expression by human mesangial cells. TGF-[beta]1 induced increased [alpha]1(I), [alpha]1(III) and [alpha]1(IV) collagen mRNA expression. Greater mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 was compensated by increased tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP)-2 mRNA. There was no change in TIMP-1 or membrane-type MMP mRNA expression, while MMP-1 mRNA decreased. Type I and IV collagen protein accumulated in both the cell layer and medium. Changes in collagen mRNA and protein occurred within 4 and 8 h, respectively. MMP-2 and TIMP-1/-2 activities showed little change. Cycloheximide markedly decreased collagen detection within 4 h and reversed late, but not early, changes in [alpha]1(I) collagen mRNA. In this system, increased synthesis may be more significant than degradation for collagen accumulation, but collagen is short-lived in culture. Diverse TGF-[beta]1 actions on collagen turnover may be either immediate or mediated through synthesis of regulatory molecules.

Received 16 January 1998; accepted in final form 8 June 1998.
APS Manuscript Number F13-8.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Renal Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1998 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 16 June 1998